There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love
by RangerLuv2
Summary: How does Ranger react when a devastatingly handsome man buys Vinnie's business and takes a personal interest in Stephanie's training and well-being? We'll see. Babe HEA. I'd like to thank Sandy, a.k.a., Knitter, for suggesting I write a JE fanfic that includes a very attractive Asian man. - Recognizable characters belong to JE. No profits for me!
1. Chapter 1

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 1**

Stephanie Plum pulled up in front of the Vincent Plum Bail Bonds office where she was employed as a bounty hunter. Pulling up and parking at the same time was her friend, Lula, who also happens to be the office file clerk.

They greeted each other with a knowing grin. Stephanie was carrying a box of donuts and Lula a cardboard carrier holding three large cups bearing the Starbucks logo. It was going to be a good morning. Sugar, caffeine and whipped cream to start the day. Yum!

Steph held the door open for Lula and followed her inside. Normally, the next step would be to greet, Connie, the office manager, who should be sitting at her desk, pretending to be working. Instead, Connie was standing in the middle of the office with a look on her face that appeared to be somewhere between shock and wonder.

"Connie, you okay?" Steph asked with a frown. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, you look like you just seen E.T. or somethin'," Lula said.

Connie came slightly out of her reverie and blinked twice before finally realizing she was no longer alone. She glanced back over her shoulder toward Vinnie's office and then back to the girls. "Come here," she ordered with a hiss, motioning Stephanie and Lula closer. "Hurry!"

Lula and Stephanie deposited the donuts and mocha lattes on Connie's desk and moved closer to hear what she had to say. "What's wrong?" Steph asked again. "Tell us, now!"

"You are not going to believe it! Vinnie sold the business! The paperwork was on my desk when I came in," Connie said. "The new owner is in there now. I peeked through the peep hole and he's ... he's ..."

"Spill it, girl," Lula demanded. "You're making us nervous. "He's what? A goon? Worse than Vinnie? An ex-con? A clone of Severus Snape?"

"No!" Connie hissed, holding a finger to her lips to indicate they should keep their voices down. "He's ..."

Before she could finish, the door opened and a man strolled out and smiled at them. Not just a man, a god among men. A five foot, ten inch, delectable, golden skinned, Asian man. His complexion was flawless and he had dimples when he smiled. He was the epitome of a clean cut GQ cover model. He could be in the running for Sexiest CEO of the Year, if there were such a thing.

He was wearing a custom tailored black suit, starched white shirt, black dress shoes, burgundy and black tie and silver cufflinks. He was so far opposite of Vinnie, the pendulum had swung clear to the right and crashed through the side of the Earth's biosphere.

"Ladies," he greeted them as he moved closer, his gorgeous smile still in place. "My name is Yasahiro Nakamura. My friends call me Yashi and I'd be pleased if you'd also called me Yashi. I've purchased the business from Vincent Plum and would like to speak to each of you individually this morning to hear your feelings about the business and to inquire about your desire to remain employed here as part of the team."

Connie, Steph and Lula were rooted to their spots in the middle of the office, mesmerized by his devastating good looks and his beautiful, rich, cultured voice. Stephanie knew one of them should speak up and acknowledge him. Ideally, all three of them should at least greet him, seeing how he was the new boss, but silence reigned supreme.

Connie felt a mad desire to fan herself and Steph absentmindedly checked her chin for drool. Lula thought he was a little slice of heaven on a Ritz cracker, but she was so wrapped up in her love affair with Tank, she wasn't quite as off-kilter as the other girls.

Finally, Lula spoke up. "Nice to meet you, Yashi. I'm Lula, the file clerk, and Stephanie's assistant, on account of sometimes it takes two of us to bring in some of the wilier skips. Plus, we like to have lunch together, you know what I mean?"

"Indeed," Yashi said with a smile. Except on certain rare occasions, I also prefer not dining alone." _Too bad it happens all too often_, he thought to himself. "I'm pleased to meet you, Lula."

"I can't even tell you how pleased I am to meet _you_," Lula said frankly. We gonna love not having to put up with that pervert, Vinnie, no more."

Hearing Lula speak up helped Connie loosen up a bit. "I'm Connie, the office manager. I found the letter about the change of ownership on my desk this morning," she told him. I'm sorry Vinnie's office is such a mess. I can clean it for you this morning."

"Hello, Connie, It's very nice to meet you," Yashi said, turning his smile solely on her. "You don't normally have to do the cleaning, do you?"

"Uh, no. Vinnie was a pig and had all sorts of, uh, undesirable paraphernalia in his office, so he never allowed anyone in there, even to clean."

"I see." Yashi's smile grew wider. He glanced back over his shoulder at the door that led to Vinnie's office, then focused his gaze back on Connie. "That explains a lot, but don't worry about the cleaning. I'll hire professional office cleaners to come in twice a week."

"Wow," Connie said, wide-eyed. "We've never had professional office cleaners come in. I think I'm going to love working for you, if you'll have me. Oh, and I don't know where you're from, but your English is excellent."

Yashi threw his head back and laughed and it was a delightful sound. "Thank you, but I can't really take credit for that. It just tends to happen when you're born and raised in Chicago and graduate from Harvard," he told her with a wink.

The playful wink combined with his spectacular dimples and amused dark eyes made the three women go weak in the knees. Next, he turned his attention to Stephanie. "You must be Miss Plum, our resident bounty hunter extraordinaire," he said with a smile.

"That would be me, but you can call me Steph or Stephanie. I'm not overly fond of Miss Plum," Steph said, feeling stupid that she couldn't think of anything to add. She'd only known one other man in her life who could take her breath away just by smiling at her and that was Ranger. She was wondering to herself if Yashi was still going to give the high bond skips to RangeMan and how Yashi and Ranger would get along.

Usually, Ranger had it all over Vinnie. There seemed to be no limit to the number of stupid situations Vinnie got himself into and Ranger helped him out of. It always ended up that Vinnie "owed" Ranger and Ranger pretty much told Vinnie what to do, not the other way around.

"I've seen the numbers concerning your success rate on captures, Stephanie. I'm very impressed."

Stephanie felt an unreasonable amount of delight at the way her name rolled off his tongue and felt the infusion of color on her cheeks. "Thanks. I get lucky a lot," she told him.

"If only we could all get lucky ninety-nine percent of the time," he said with a grin. "I'm sure it's not all luck though. I imagine you've picked up some tricks of the trade along the way."

"Right," Stephanie agreed. "But somehow the skips have no appreciation or respect for whatever tricks I've learned. They continue to come up with new and clever ways to avoid being brought back into the system."

"I imagine that's so," Yashi said thoughtfully. "Are you experienced in any of the martial arts?"

"I have a black belt," Stephanie told him with a straight face. She waited a moment before delivering the punchline, then added, "and a purse and shoes to match."

The laughter at her joke made Steph, Lula and Connie all relax a bit more and the grin on Yashi's face made it worth telling the really old, really goofy joke. "Seriously," she said. I've never done any type of martial arts. I just try to get better at staying on my feet and not getting shot."

Yashi's eyes widened at the sobering thought of one of his employees getting shot. Stephanie was a beautiful young woman and the thought of something happening to her ... well, his mind didn't want to go there. "Perhaps I can be of some small assistance, Stephanie. I'm quite accomplished in karate and would be happy to give you some free lessons. I'm opening a karate studio here in Trenton, but if you'd prefer private lessons, I'm sure we can make arrangements. Of course karate won't stop a bullet, but perhaps improved skills will help you make a capture before the situation escalates to that point."

Steph bit her bottom lip as she thought about karate lessons. Somehow, that didn't sound quite as bad as exercise or running at 6 am. "Thanks. I'll let you know," she told him.

"Great," he said with a nod. He glanced at the box of donuts and cups of Starbucks on Connie's desk, then looked back at the girls. "I see you were just getting ready to enjoy a morning snack. I think I'll excuse myself and go out for a newspaper and cup of coffee. Perhaps we can chat and have our interviews when I get back, if that works for the three of you," he said with another gorgeous smile.

"You're askin' us if it's okay?" Lula asked incredulously. "We musta died an gone to heaven. Vinnie never cared what any of us wanted. He just barked out orders and insulted everyone."

A frown flashed across Yashi's face. "I've owned other companies and I've never found it necessary to bark out orders or insult valued team members. I think mutual respect is the way to go," he told them. "So, on that note, I'll head out to find that coffee and paper and I'll see you ladies in about twenty minutes."

The three girls turned in unison to watch as Yashi exited the office. They continued to watch in fascination as he gracefully slid into a beautiful silver Mercedes and pulled away from the curb.

"Somebody wanna pinch me so I know I ain't dreamin'? Lula asked.

"No kidding," Connie said on a whisper. "That man is a walking orgasm if ever I've seen one."

Lula and Connie turned to Steph to see if she agreed with them. "Well," Lula demanded. "What you think of Yashi, white girl? I think that man could give Ranger a run for his money."

"Ranger who?" Steph asked.

Connie and Lula gasped at the same time, horror spreading across their faces. "Say what?" Lula demanded.

Steph smiled. "Just kidding, girls." She strode over to the desk. "I don't know about the two of you, but I need a donut or three or four before I run home to change my panties."

Just then, the door opened and Ranger walked in. "I think you got here just in time, Batman," Lula told him.

"Ladies," Ranger said with a hint of a smile. "Just in time for what, Lula?"

"White girl almost done went and forgot your name."

"I did not!" Stephanie snapped back at her. "I was kidding."

Ranger's eyes shifted to Stephanie. Her overreaction was not lost on him. "Babe, you were joking about forgetting my name?"

Before she could reply, Lula spoke up again. "Probably she was kidding, Batman, but you might wanna learn how to use a pair of chopsticks so you're not left completely out of this here game."

A frown creased Ranger's forehead and he reached out and tilted Steph's chin up so she was forced to look at him. "Babe?"

When Stephanie didn't answer him right away, Connie spoke up. "Ranger, did you know Vinnie sold the business and we have a new owner?"

Ranger's eyes widened a bit indicating he was shocked over the news. "No," he admitted. "Who is the new owner?"

"His name is Yashi and he's sex on a tiki torch," Lula told him.

Ranger's eyes shifted back to Stephanie. "Is that so?"

"Don't ask me," Steph said nervously. "I didn't really notice."

"The hell you didn't," Lula said with a laugh. "A woman would have to be dead not to notice those dimples."

Steph stepped back a bit so that Ranger's fingers were no longer under her chin. Her movement did not escape Ranger's notice.

He tore his gaze from Stephanie and looked at Connie then. "So, did he say anything about giving the high bond files to RangeMan?"

"Sorry, Ranger. I haven't had much of a chance to speak with him. He should be back in about twenty minutes if you want to stop back."

Ranger gave a slight nod. He cupped his hand on the back of Steph's neck and leaned close. "Babe, can I see you outside for a moment?"


	2. Chapter 2

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

Apparently, there was a glitch on fanfic this morning and some stories got deleted/lost. Mine was one of them. I apologize. I had to reload it and lost all my reviews for chapter 1 *sigh* I'm sad now and hope you'll all leave a little review for chapter 2, to brighten my mood. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 2

Stephanie's mind was whirling as Ranger guided her to the alley behind the bonds office. The moment they were out of sight, he eased her back against the brick wall and leaned into her, placing a hand on either side of her head. He leaned down until his lips were just inches from hers. Her eyes were focused on his mouth and had yet to meet his. "The new boss made you forget my name, Babe?"

"N ... no, of course not. You know Lula, she's such a drama queen." Stephanie gulped and chanced a glance at Ranger's eyes. Normally, when he looked at her, his brown eyes were soft and warm or filled with desire or sometimes amusement, depending on the situation, but at the moment his eyes were studying her curiously.

Ranger knew Steph wouldn't literally forget his name, but he could tell something had happened. There was a definite shift in the atmosphere in the office and his Babe was acting nervous. Her shoulders were tense and he feared that she almost wished she could slip out of his grasp and run back into the office.

He knew he could make her forget all about the new boss in less than two minutes. He moved closer and covered her lips with his own. His tongue sought entrance to her mouth, and as always, she parted her lips for him and let out a soft moan as his tongue darted inside to engage in a sensuous dance with her own. He slid one hand around her waist, his other moved to the back of her head to hold her against him. His fingers slid into her soft brown curls.

Steph was quick to respond. She wrapped her arms around his waist, then her hands moved upward to begin an exploration of his muscled back through his tight black t-shirt. The kiss deepened and Ranger's hands began their own exploration as the one on the back of her head moved down to explore her back and his other hand pushed inside the waistband of her jeans, then inside the thin fabric of her panties, caressing and squeezing her ass.

Finally, they had to break off the kiss to catch their breath. Ranger rested his forehead against hers as they both gasped for air. "What's his name?" Ranger asked, his voice husky with desire.

"Yasahiro Nakamura, but he said we should call him Yashi," Steph said breathlessly.

Ranger's blank face slammed into place. What the fuck? Was he losing his touch? There was no way after that kiss she should have been able to recall his name that quickly. She just met him and it was a difficult, unfamiliar name.

Stephanie knew she should push Ranger away and get back to the office, but she didn't want to move. It felt so good being close to him. His scent, his warmth, his touch were all so incredibly enticing and every time he kissed her it was magical.

"What color panties are you wearing today, Babe?"

"Wh ... What? Panties, uh, I don't, I ..." She paused as if trying to think back to earlier in the morning. "Oh, I believe they're peach. Yeah, I'm pretty sure peach, why?"

Ranger stared at her in disbelief. This was a troubling turn of events. She recalled this new guy's name without hesitation, but struggled to remember what color panties she'd left home with just a short time ago. He felt an annoying knot in his gut when he realized he was jealous. He didn't do jealousy, but then he didn't do a lot of things before he met Stephanie Plum.

He ran his hands up her arms and felt her shiver at his touch. At least she wasn't immune to him, he thought. Maybe he could do some damage control. "What are your plans for today, Babe? Are you coming in to Rangeman to do some searches?"

Ranger owned a security company called Rangeman and Stephanie worked there part time. She needed the extra money and the benefits were good. Even working part time, she had excellent health insurance coverage. Plus, she got to have lunch with Ranger two or three times a week and dinner two or three times a week in his apartment on the seventh floor.

"I think so," she told him. "I'll have to see how it goes. Yashi wants to conduct a short interview with each of us and then I need to check with Connie to see if she has any skips for me today. Why?"

"I thought we could have lunch together," he told her. "Ella is making chocolate cake today." He actually had no idea if Ella planned to make chocolate cake today, but she would be after he called her.

Ella is Ranger's perfect cook and perfect housekeeper. She's like Martha Stewart on steroids without the rough edges. She slices, she dices, she decorates and cleans. She shops and bakes and keeps his men lean. There isn't a single domestic chore at which she doesn't excel.

"Oh, well, okay. I'll see if I can be there. I'd hate to miss chocolate cake. Can I call you later when I know what my plans are?"

Ranger forced himself not to frown. Normally, his Babe wouldn't allow hell or high water keep her from getting to the seventh floor for Ella's chocolate cake.

"Sure," Ranger replied. Then he leaned in again and kissed her senseless. Well, probably almost senseless, since she likely still remembered the new guy's name. Shit! Even he couldn't remember it now, but it had rolled off Stephanie's tongue without hesitation.

Finally, he pulled away from her and it took another couple minutes for them to catch their breath again. He grabbed her hand then and pulled her to the front of the building.

As they rounded the corner, there was Yashi, walking from his car to the front door of the office carrying a white Styrofoam cup and a newspaper.

He glanced over when he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He was surprised to see Stephanie with a man dressed in all black. Her face was flushed, her lips looked thoroughly kissed, her hair was in slight disarray, and her hand was tucked tightly into his.

Yashi stared at the two of them for a moment, then raised a single eyebrow. Ranger sized him up and raised an eyebrow of his own. Steph stifled a giggle at the dueling eyebrows and thought, _alpha male, meet alpha male._

"Would you like me to introduce you?" Stephanie asked Ranger_._

_"_No thanks, Babe. I'll stop back later," he told her. He released her hand and headed toward his truck. Yashi disappeared inside the office without a word.

Stephanie smiled affectionately at Ranger's retreating back and felt a slight twinge of guilt. Probably it was mean of her to pretend she'd had trouble remembering the color of her panties. She wasn't even sure why she did it. She'd never done anything in the past to deliberately try to make him jealous, but something had to give.

She'd broken things off for good with her ex, Joe Morelli, and had been waiting patiently for Ranger to make a move. He'd told her if her bed was empty for very long, he'd be back in it. So far, he was all talk and no action, and Stephanie was getting frustrated. Four months was a long time to go without sex for a girl with raging Hungarian hormones and she was no longer feeling very patient.

As Ranger sped away, he flipped open his phone and called Ella. "What are the chances you could make a chocolate cake today?"

"Is Stephanie coming for lunch?" she asked.

Ranger could hear the smile in her voice. "Yes." _Maybe_, he thought.

"I'll make a chocolate cake that'll knock her socks off, Carlos."

"Thanks, Ella, you're the best." He disconnected, and with a sigh, tossed his cell phone on the seat beside him. He wanted to be the one to knock his Babe's socks off. Or peel them off, along with the rest of her clothing.

He'd told her that if her bed was empty for long, he'd be back in it, but so far, he hadn't kept his promise. Not that he didn't want to. Dios, he wanted her so badly. But, it was complicated. He didn't do relationships and she didn't do casual sex. It was frustrating and the one problem in his life he didn't have a solution for.

Stephanie wandered back inside the office. Connie was at her desk printing out information on new skips that needed to be picked up, but Lula was nowhere in sight.

"She's in with Yashi," Connie explained before Steph could even ask the question. "I'm next, so if you want to take care of one of these easier FTAs while you wait for your turn, here's what I have available," she said, handing Stephanie three folders.

Stephanie dropped the folders on the desk and flipped open the one on top. "How long?" she asked Connie.

"They're all brand new skips. You have the same amount of time you always have."

Stephanie looked up at her and frowned. "Huh? Oh no, I meant, how long do you think these interviews will last?"

"Heck if I know," Connie shrugged. "I'm sure he's going to keep you though. He's very impressed by your capture rate. I just hope he keeps me and Lula. I'd hate to have to start looking for another job and I'd hate it if the three of us didn't get to work together any more."

"I'm thinking we're all safe," Steph said with confidence. "He referred to us as a team a couple times so I think he already thinks of us that way."

"I hope so. You gonna go after one of those skips this morning or not?"

"You trying to get rid of me, Connie?" Steph asked with a grin as she flipped through the other two folders. "Would you like me to take Lula with me so you and the boss can be alone?" she inquired, wriggling her eyebrows.

"That wasn't why I asked, but hell yeah. Good idea. Take Lula on an extended vacation," Connie teased. "I'll see you both next year."

Stephanie laughed. "And just a moment ago, you were worried about the three of us being apart. My, how quickly things change."

The door to Yashi's office opened and Lula came out. Actually, as soon as she pulled the door shut behind her, she came dancing out, strutting her stuff and swinging her hips with a big smile on her face.

"I take it you got the job," Connie said with a chuckle.

When Lula got close to Connie's desk, she leaned in close and said, "I not only get to keep this here job, he gave me a dollar an hour raise. How you like them apples?"

Stephanie and Connie congratulated Lula on her raise. "I hope I get one too," Connie said with a faraway look in her eyes. "Vinnie gave me a raise every year for the first five years I worked here, then he stopped. I never missed them though. Vinnie's idea of a raise was ten cents an hour each year."

Lula busted out laughing and Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Ten cents?" Stephanie choked out over her laughter. "What's the point?"

"Exactly," Connie agreed. "I guess it's not very nice to say, but I'm so glad that vermin is gone."

Steph looked at Connie and said, "Since Lula's interview didn't take very long, I think I should probably stick around and wait for mine. Don't spend all day in there batting your eyelashes, toots."

"I'm not making any promises," Connie said with a grin, batting her eyelashes at Steph.

"Oh!" Lula exclaimed, putting her fingers to her mouth. "Shit. Speaking of that, he told me to send you in, Connie."

Connie let out a small shriek as she jumped up from her desk. "Damnit, Lula! Now it's going to look like I deliberately kept him waiting." She pulled open her top desk drawer and grabbed a mirror to check her hair and makeup, then tossed the mirror back in the drawer. Next, she smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her skirt and quickly made her way to Yashi's office.

Lula laughed as she watched Connie hurry toward Yashi's door. "Man, she really got the hots for that man, don't she?"

"Looks that way," Steph agreed. "Can't really blame her. He's gorgeous, polite, smart, successful, well-spoken ... "

"Yeah, you done sold me on him," Lula interrupted her. "And, I think you done hurt Batman's feelings this morning."

Stephanie flashed a glare at Lula. "I don't think Ranger gets his feelings hurt that easily, Lula. Besides, you're the one who blurted out that I almost forgot his name."

"Hunh," Lula said thoughtfully. "Well, I'll hafta think about that later. I gotta go outside and call my Tankie and tell him about my raise. You need help with a skip later, white girl?"

"Nah." Steph waved her hand dismissively. "I've got an easy one this morning and another easy one this afternoon. I may need you tomorrow to pick up Buster Graves."

"He that dumb ass we picked up a few months ago for stealing tires off the police chief's car?"

"That's him," Steph grinned. Buster _Einstein_ Graves." She flopped down on the couch and crossed her legs.

"What'd that idiot do this time?"

"Shot up the sign at a gas station because he was upset at the price of gas," Steph told her with an eye roll.

"Yeah, like he don't hafta pay the same price as the rest of us." She reached inside the front of her hot pink, V neck, spandex shirt and pulled her cell phone out from the great canyon between her breasts as she headed for the door to go call Tank.

Not being a person who can sit still for long, Steph started fidgeting on the couch and was almost happy to hear her cell phone ring. She hurried over to Connie's desk and dug the phone out of her purse.

"Yo!" she answered cheerfully.

"Yo, yourself, Babe. Have you decided whether or not you're coming over for lunch?"

Steph pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it like it was a two headed zebra. Putting it back to her ear, she said, "Ranger, I just talked to you twenty minutes ago. I haven't even had my interview yet and I have a skip to go pick up after that. Do you need to know right this minute?"

Ranger blew out a sigh. "No, that's okay Babe, just checking. Have a nice day and don't forget to call me, okay?"

Steph pulled the phone away from her ear again and wondered if it was broken and changing the real words Ranger was speaking. She shook the phone to see if it sounded like anything was loose inside.

"Babe? You still there?" she heard him ask.

She put the phone back to her ear. "Ranger, are you okay?"

"Sure, why?"

"Uh, never mind. I'll call you later."

"Mmkay," Ranger said. "Don't forget, okay?"

"Yeah, you already mentioned that. I won't forget."

"Bye, Babe."

"Christ!" Steph blurted out. "What in the world is wrong with you? Are you sick? Are you feeling okay? Do you have bad news? Are you dying? You're not dying are you?" she asked frantically.

"Only inside, Babe. Bye. Remember to call me, okay?" he asked again before disconnecting.

"What the fuck?" she said to the empty room. "Strangest Ranger phone call, _ever_."

Before she could think any more about the strange call from Ranger, Yashi's door opened and Connie came gliding out with a huge smile on her face.

"I guess that went well," Steph said. "Did you get a raise? Is it my turn?"

Connie flopped down onto her chair behind her desk. She has one of those chairs with wheels and she twirled around in it, laughing and kicking her legs in the air like a delighted little girl.

"Connie? What happened in there? You look way too happy to have gotten a dollar an hour raise."

Connie stopped spinning and grinned up at Stephanie, holding up two fingers. "Don't tell Lula," she said, but Yashi gave me a two dollar an hour raise. He said because of the responsibility I have and the fact that I can also write bonds, he felt I deserved more money. He said he'll need to go out of town at times and I'll have to be in charge."

"Nice! Congratulations! I don't think there'll be a raise for me since I work on a percentage basis, but that's okay. Did he say for me to go back there or not?"

"Oh, yes. Go ahead and go on back. The dreamboat is waiting on you," she said with a wink.

Before Steph could walk away, her cell phone rang again. She flipped it open and said, "Yo."

"Yo, yourself, Babe. You need any help with that skip this morning?"

Stephanie bit her lip as her mind tried to form a list of reasons Ranger could be acting this way. The problem was, nothing showed up on her mental list. "Is this Carlos Manoso?" she demanded.

"Of course, Babe. Did you forget my voice after you forgot my name?" he asked with a decided tone of rejection in his voice.

_Holy shit_, Steph thought to herself. Ranger is jealous. Hunky Batman, Cuban sex god, bad ass mercenary, was jealous of Yashi. She'd never seen jealous Ranger before so she had no idea what to expect. It was kind of endearing and a little unnerving, all at the same time. He never acted this way when she was involved with Joe. Probably he knew that her relationship with Joe was going nowhere. Hunh. Jealous Ranger was rather heartbreaking.

"Ranger, I'll tell you what. If I can't make it for lunch, I'll definitely make it for dinner. Does that work for you?"

"Babe. Dinner is at least eight hours away."

"Riiight," Steph replied. "Listen, Yashi is waiting in his office to interview me. I'll call you back a little later, okay?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Finally, he said, "Okay, Babe. Can't wait to hear from you."

Stephanie wanted to scream at him to snap him out of this mood, but she couldn't make herself do it. "Take care, Batman," she said with a gentleness she didn't know she possessed.

Before he could remind her again not to forget to call him, she snapped her phone shut, and tossed it in her purse.

"Everything okay with Ranger?" Connie wanted to know.

"Uh, I'm not sure. He sounded kind of funny on the phone."

"Funny strange or funny haha?"

"Funny strange, but I can't talk about it now. Yashi is waiting."


	3. Chapter 3

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**I apologize for the glitches Fanfic is having. The story keeps disappearing and I keep reloading it. Not sure when the problem will actually be fixed. **

**Chapter 3**

Stephanie knocked softly on Yashi's door before opening it and stepping inside. He looked up from the newspaper he was reading and gave her one of his dimple infused smiles.

"Have a seat, Stephanie," he said, motioning to the chair in front of his desk.

Steph settled into the chair and looked around the room. Yashi had already done some cleaning and rearranging and there were two black thirty gallon trash bags filled to the brim, sitting in one corner.

"Sheesh," she said, glancing at the trash bags. "Guess he had more junk in here than I realized."

"I can't even begin to tell you," Yashi said with a grin. Those trash bags mostly hold racing forms, betting slips, adult magazines and junk mail that he opened, but didn't bother to throw away. He was quite the pack rat."

"Some people would just call him a rat," Steph informed him.

"Was he really that bad to work for?" Yashi inquired.

"Not when he wasn't around," she replied with a short laugh.

Yashi gave a small laugh too and shook his head. "Well, hopefully, weeks, months and years from now, no one will be referring to me as a rat. Not that I worry about what people think of me, but I'd never want my employees to be miserable."

Steph nodded. "Good to know. You said you've owned other businesses. Were they bonds offices?"

"No, no, not even close," Yashi answered. "I've owned two investment firms and a consulting agency for new business start-ups. I recently sold all three. I have an MBA and a law degree from Harvard and hold a CFA designation."

"CFA?"

"Chartered Financial Analyst," he said.

"Impressive. So, what made you buy this crazy bonds office, if you don't mind me asking."

Yashi leaned back in his comfortable, brown leather chair and laced his fingers behind his head. "Well, it's kind of a weird story, but I recently turned 34 and was feeling like I needed to make some kind of change. I just didn't know what I wanted to do. I'd already made more money than I ever dreamed possible and was tired of the dog-eat-dog world of investment." He paused and dropped his hands from behind his head to take a sip of his coffee, then continued.

"One night, a couple of friends were at my house, and we were playing poker. I told them I wanted out of the financial rat race, but that I was at a loss as to what I wanted to pursue. One of them grabbed a section of the newspaper that listed businesses for sale and dared me to throw a dart at the paper and buy whatever business the dart landed on. I was amused and intrigued by the prospect of jumping into a new challenge blindly, so I agreed. I told him as long as it wasn't related to Wall Street and as long as I was qualified for the type of business, I was game."

"And your dart landed on Vinnie's bond business," Stephanie finished for him.

"Indeed," Yashi said with a smile. "I don't want you to get the wrong impression though. Even though this started out as a bit of a lark, I intend to take the business seriously. Failure has never been an option for me and I don't intend to fail at this."

Stephanie smiled. "I don't think anyone would ever think of you as a slacker, Yashi." She glanced at the open newspaper on the desk in front of him. "You're reading the stock market page," she observed. "Are you missing the investment business already?"

"No, not at all. However, I do have a lot of my own personal money tied up in investments, so I still need to keep an eye on everything."

"Right. That makes sense." Stephanie eyed him curiously.

"What?" Yashi asked, aware of her scrutiny.

Steph shook her head. "Sorry, it's nothing. I was just thinking about how easily you talk about your life. Very different from ... some people."

Yashi's mind thought back to earlier in the day when he'd seen her coming around the corner of the building with the man dressed in black. "You don't have to answer this, but are you dating the man I saw you with this morning?"

"No. He's just ..." She hesitated. Saying that Ranger was just a friend seemed to undervalue her feelings for him, but she really didn't want to try to explain their relationship. "He's just ... we're ... he's my best friend," she finally told him. "Well, my best male friend. My other best friend is a woman named Mary Lou. She and I grew up together and are still friends."

"Well, that's surprising," Yashi admitted. "The two of you sent out a vibe that signaled more than friendship, but since it's none of my business, I'll accept your answer. Does he come around the office very often to see you?"

"He doesn't come here to see _me_, at all. His name is Carlos Manoso, but he goes by Ranger. He owns a security company called RangeMan and ... "

"Oh!" Yashi said. "Sorry, to interrupt, but I know about him. Vincent told me that RangeMan picks up the dangerous, high bond skips."

"Right. He stopped by this morning to see if Connie had any files for him, but of course she didn't know if you intended to keep using RangeMan's services."

Yashi leaned forward and rested his crossed arms on his desk. "Vincent told me that RangeMan is the best around, so if Carlos ... uh, Ranger, wishes to continue the arrangement, I'd consider that good news. I was planning to call him this afternoon. His company installed the security system in my home. I've never met anyone from the company though. The system was already installed when I moved in and I just had the account put into my name and continue to pay the bill."

"It's true, they really are the best around," Steph told him, "and I can't speak for Ranger, but my best guess would be that if the terms are the same as they were with Vinnie, then Ranger would likely still be interested in bagging your high bond skips. He'll be stopping by later to talk to you."

"Sounds good," Yashi acknowledged. "I'm not sure if I'll be in the office or not, so I'll probably just call him when I have a few minutes to talk." He paused, but Stephanie could tell that he had something else to say, so she remained quiet.

"Stephanie, do you have any skips to pick up today?"

"Yes, Connie gave me three new skips this morning. If I still have my job, I'll be going after one of them when we wrap up this interview."

Yashi's eyes widened a bit. "Good grief, I'm sorry! I guess I should have made it clear up front. I just assumed that when I told you how impressed I was with your capture rate, you'd understand that I wanted to keep you on. My bad," he said with an adorable dimpled smile.

"I gave Connie and Lula both raises, but since you work on a percentage basis, I'll devise another way to give you an increase in compensation. Perhaps a bonus for every ten captures or something similar."

"Thank you," Stephanie said with a sigh of relief. In that case, yes, I'll be heading out to pick up a skip in few minutes."

"Good," Yashi said with an affirmative nod. "Would you consider it too much of an inconvenience if I rode along with you on this first capture? I'm dying to see just what it is you do and what your usual procedure is. I mean, I read the procedure as it's written in the training manuals, but I'd love to see you work a capture from beginning to end."

Steph's heart thudded in her chest at the thought of riding in close quarters with Yashi for the next couple of hours. Nothing like having the boss scrutinize each and every move. On the other hand, he was funny and smart and good company, not to mention, freaking gorgeous. "Sure, that'd be fine, but you probably don't want to go out wearing that nice suit and white shirt. Things tend to get a little messy sometimes." _Most of the time, _she thought to herself.

"I'll leave my jacket behind since it's pretty hot out. I'm not worried about the white shirt. I have a lot of them and I can always send it to the cleaners."

He stood and removed his suit jacket, then hung it on the coat rack in the back corner of the office. He removed his cufflinks and tossed them on his desk, then rolled up his sleeves. "Ready," he said with a grin.

He was delighted that Stephanie was going to allow him to accompany her this morning. She was a beautiful woman and seemed very nice. He was looking forward to getting to know her a bit better in addition to watching her work.

They stopped at Connie's desk on their way out. Stephanie grabbed the three files and stuffed them into her bag, and Yashi let Connie know what his plans were. Connie avoided Stephanie's eyes, but had a bit of a problem hiding her grin. Damn, she wished she could go with them.

Yashie handed Connie a business card and said, "My cell phone number is at the bottom of the card in case you need to reach me."

"Thanks." Connie took the card and slid it into her Rolodex. "You two be careful," she offered up as they walked out the door.

Out on the sidewalk, Yashi paused and pulled his keys from his pocket. "May I have the pleasure of being your chauffeur for today's field trip?"

Stephanie wasn't all that anxious to subject Yahsi to her 2001 Ford Taurus, so she readily agreed. She just hoped no one got covered in garbage during the take down.

"Which way?" Yahsi asked after they were seated comfortably in the silver Mercedes. He started the car, turned on the air conditioning, and waited patiently while Stephanie checked to make sure she had her pepper spray and cuffs. After that, she checked her stun gun to confirm it had a full charge.

She pulled the file she needed from her bag and flipped it open. "We're picking up Denise Hocker, so we need to take Hamilton Avenue to Oak Lawn. We'll see if she's home. If not, we'll head on over to Lonny's Diner. That's where she works. We may be able to catch her on her way out, after her shift is over."

"Got it," Yashi said, pulling out onto Hamilton. "I happen to know where Oak Lawn is. What is she wanted for?"

Stephanie figured Vinnie must have written the bonds for the three skips she had, otherwise, Yashi would already know the details. "She was arrested for following women at the mall and tackling them, then cutting the straps on their shoes and sandals with a pair of scissors."

Yashi barked out a laugh and glanced at Stephanie before quickly turning his eyes back to the road. "You're kidding."

"I kid you not. The last time she was arrested it was for stabbing holes in a three thousand dollar Tempur-Pedic mattress at Stanley's Furniture Store over off Main Street. Sounds like she needs to get a hobby," Steph told him with a small laugh.

"Sounds like she needs mental health treatment and to be kept away from sharp objects," Yashi countered her assessment.

"Can't argue with that," Steph said, as he turned right onto Maple Street, then make a quick left onto Oak Lawn.

She pointed to a small, one story, white aluminum sided house on the right. "She lives right there, but there's no car in the driveway. We can knock anyway to see if someone answers. Her son, Foster, sometimes stays with her. I've picked him up twice in the past for going FTA on shoplifting charges.

Yashi pulled over to the side of the road in front of the white house and parked. Before he could get around to Steph's side to open the door for her, she'd already exited the car and was standing on the sidewalk.

They walked to the front door and Stephanie knocked, but there was no answer. After waiting a bit she knocked again, louder this time.

A few seconds later, Foster flung open the door. He looked like he'd been sleeping and was not happy at being disturbed. He looked at Steph, gave a cursory glance at Yashi, then shifted his gaze back to Steph. "What the hell do you want, BBH? I'm not FTA."

Stephanie knew that by BBH he meant Bombshell Bounty Hunter, but she wasn't anxious for Yashi to know what he was referring to so she quickly got down to business. "I'm looking for your mother. She's FTA and I need to take her in to reschedule."

Foster looked surprised, his eyebrows shooting up under the greasy, shaggy dark hair that hung down on his forehead. "My mom? She didn't tell me she was in trouble again. What'd she do now?"

Stephanie related the current charge against his mother and asked if he knew where she was.

"As far as I know, she's at work. At the diner," he added. "Just leave her the fuck alone, she can't afford to lose her job," he said, his voice angry.

"Hey, watch your language in front of a lady," Yashi demanded, speaking up for the first time since Foster opened the door.

"Fuck you," Foster said, directing his words to Yashi.

Stephanie quickly stepped between them before the situation had a chance to escalate. She glanced at Yashi over her shoulder. "It's okay. It goes with the territory. If you ride with me to pick up any other skips, you'll see and hear much worse."

Foster gave her a cheesy grin. "Manoso know his woman is hooking up with someone else?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and ignored the question. "I can try to avoid picking her up inside the diner if you let me know what time she gets off work."

Foster shrugged. "Usually two o'clock, after the lunch crowd clears out, but sometimes they ask her to stay later. Since she needs the money, she usually stays."

Stephanie nodded. "You working, Foster?"

Foster knew she was implying that he should have a job so he could help his mother out. It was amazing how many people felt that way, just because he was 29 years old. Sheesh. "None of your business, bitch," he said before slamming the door in her face.

Yashi and Steph walked back to the Mercedes, climbed inside and buckled their seat belts. Yashi started the car and turned the air on again. "Feels like it's going to hit close to ninety again today," he grumbled.

"Yeah, I'm sick of this sticky heat," Steph agreed. She leaned forward so that the flow of cold air from the passenger side air vents was blowing directly into her face.

Yahsi studied her for a moment and a small smile formed on his lips as he watched her cooling her face. Her eyes were closed and her face was relaxed in spite of the fact that a creepy looking guy just got up in her face and gave her a hard time. "I hate the way he spoke to you, Stephanie. I wanted to punch his face in."

Steph opened her eyes and glanced at him, then smiled. "Yashi, it's okay, really. I'm not sure what the women on Wall Street are like, but I've been known to use some colorful language myself. Like I said earlier, it's part of the job."

Something about what she said made Yashi smile. The thought of a string of swear words flowing from her beautiful mouth was amusing to him. He was having a hard time imagining it.

She turned back to the air vents and closed her eyes again allowing Yashi to spend a few more seconds studying her profile. Stephnanie Plum was definitely someone he wanted to get to know and spend time with.

"So, the diner next?" he asked, switching his focus back to the skip.

Steph opened her eyes again and glanced at her watch. "Nah, it's too early. I try to avoid doing apprehensions inside public buildings and Denise doesn't get off work until two at the earliest. We need to kill some time."

"I'm getting a bit hungry. May I buy you an early lunch?" Yahsi asked her.

The mention of lunch reminded her of Ranger's strange phone calls. Once again, she wondered if he was okay. She'd have to call him later and let him know she'd be there for dinner instead of lunch. "Sure," she told Yashi. "That sounds good."

"Hungry for anything in particular?" he asked her.

Stephanie shrugged. "Nah, any place will do, as long as the main thing on the menu isn't vegetables."

Yashi grinned at that. "Not a fan, huh?"

"Not even a little. I'm a pizza and meatball subs kind of girl."

"Love them both," he told her. "So, who has the best meatball subs and pizza?"

"Pino's has the best meatball subs and their pizza is great too. Shorty's has the _best_ pizza, but it's kind of a dive. It's the kind of place I'd never go to if I were alone."

Yashi pulled away from the curb. "Lucky you're not alone. Where is it located?"

Steph told him the location and pulled her cell phone out of her bag. What do you like on your pizza? I can call ahead and it'll be ready shortly after we get there."

"I like everything, but anchovies," he told her. "However, get whatever you like because other than the anchovies, I'm not picky."

Steph opened her phone and hit the contact number for Shorty's. She ordered a small pizza with everything but anchovies and a small pizza with just pepperoni. Yashi smiled when he heard her place the two orders. Apparently, she wanted to make sure they both got what they liked.

It was still a bit early in the day, so Shorty's wasn't crowded like the way it gets when lunch is in full swing. They slid into an empty booth in the back and ordered two Cokes when the waitress arrived at their table.

The waitress recognized Stephanie and slid her eyes over to Yashi. "Doesn't look like your average RangeMan," she commented as she walked away.

"What was that about?" Yashi asked when the waitress was out of earshot.

"The only time I come in here is when I'm with Ranger or one of his men. Sometimes a whole group of us come in after work on a Friday night to have a few beers and pizza.

"Most of them are really big guys with muscles upon muscles and dressed completely in black. They also wear guns and knives, so I imagine you're a bit more refined looking than the type of guy she usually associates me with."

The waitress was back with their Cokes before Yashi could reply. "Pizzas will be out in two or three minutes," she told them.

Yashi look around the room. "I'm glad to know you don't come here alone. This place looks rough."

"I'm sorry," Stephanie told him. "I probably should have picked Pino's. I guess this really isn't your kind of place."

"Oh, I've hung out in worse," he told her. Especially during my college days. My friends and I used to hang out at a place called Rollers, but most everyone referred to it The Stab & Shoot. Rough place, but there's some kind of strange appeal to these kinds of places. Well, for some of us, I guess," he admitted with a smirk. "Maybe it's the same type of appeal horror movies hold for people. You never know when something dark and unexpected might happen. I'm just happy to know you're with security people when you come in here."

Steph opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by familiar voices coming from behind her.

"Beautiful?"

"Bomber?"


	4. Chapter 4

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_Steph opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by familiar voices behind her. _

___"Beautiful?" _

___"Bomber?"_

Chapter 4

Yahsi raised an eyebrow, but Stephanie wasn't sure if it was because of the appearance of the two large men in black he was staring at over her shoulder or the nicknames they called her.

She turned to look up at the curious faces of Lester and Bobby. "Hi guys. Early lunch?"

They both looked at her and then at Yashi and then back at her. "Uh, yeah," Lester told her. Hal called a little while ago and got a lead on a really high bond skip so we're having a planning meeting at one o'clock. We thought we'd go ahead and grab an early lunch."

Lester glanced at Yashi again. "You going to introduce us to your friend?"

"Yes, sorry. Yashi, these are two of the guys that work for Ranger. Lester Santos," she gestured toward Les, and Bobby Brown," she said, nodding toward Bobby. Guys, this is Yasahiro Nakamura. Vinnie sold the bonds office and Yashi is the new owner."

Just then, the waitress came back and the guys had to step aside so she could put the pizzas on the table. When she walked away, Yashi held out his hand,"Nice to meet you, Lester, Bobby," he said as they all shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"Would you like to join us?" Yashi asked, looking at Stephanie for a sign that it was okay with her.

"Yes," Steph chimed in. "Where are my manners? Join us, guys."

"No thanks," Bobby spoke up. "We ordered a few pizzas to go to take back to RangeMan."

"Ranger's allowing pizza in the break room today?" she asked with surprise.

"Yeah, Ranger's acting a bit weird today. The pizza was actually his idea. You don't happen to know what's up with him, do you?" he asked Steph. His eyes shifted to Yashi for a brief second before locking back onto hers.

"I'm not exactly sure," Steph told him, "but I'm having dinner with him tonight. Maybe I'll find out more then."

"He thinks you're coming by for lunch any moment now," Les told her. "With this high bond skip, he won't be around at dinner time."

Stephanie stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I told him I didn't know if I could make lunch or not, but that if I couldn't, I'd be there for dinner. He was okay with that, I think, but that was probably before he knew about the skip. I'll call him."

It was clearly more information than she usually shared with them about her interactions with Ranger and she saw Bobby and Lester exchange a quick look.

"Yeah, give him a call. Soon," Lester added. "Like I said, he's acting strangely and we need him to not be distracted for this take down tonight."

Steph knew that Ranger would not be happy to know they were discussing him, and if he knew they were doing it in front of Yashi, he'd probably ship them all to Turkmenistan in a dilapidated crate or have an aneurysm at the very least.

They said their goodbyes, and once again, Steph was alone with Yashi.

She started to slide a piece of the pepperoni pizza onto her plate, but she couldn't get her mind off Ranger. "Yashi, will you excuse me for a moment while I make a phone call?"

"Certainly," Yashi responded cordially. He could tell she was concerned about Ranger and he really had to wonder about her earlier declaration that they were just friends. And the way the two men, Bobby and Lester, behaved made him even more curious.

Stephanie pulled her cell phone out of her bag and headed toward the back door to step outside and make her call.

Hitting number one on her speed dial, she smiled when it only took half a ring for Ranger to answer.

"Yo! Babe, you remembered! Are you coming for lunch?" He sounded excited and excitement was a rare emotion for Ranger to exhibit. Now she felt like crap. She made a sudden decision to change her plans.

"I told you'd I'd remember to call you, Batman. You're pretty unforgettable, you know. Listen, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be there for lunch in about 45 minutes to an hour. Does that work for you?"

"Babe, I hate to tell you this, but we're having a planning meeting at 1300 hours. Something came up just a little while ago."

"Oh, that's right, the high bond skip," she said. Sheesh, how could she forget so soon?

"Right," Ranger said. "How did you know about that?"

_Christ! Now what do I say_? she thought to herself. Geeze, she was bungling this whole thing.

"Babe?"

"Uh, I ran into Lester and Bobby and they told me."

"Lester and Bobby? They were supposed to go to Shorty's and come straight back here. Where did you run into them?"

The oppressive combination of the sweltering temperature and high humidity was causing Stephanie's hair to stick to her overheated skin. She gathered the damp locks from her face, pulled them back, and held them behind her head with one hand. She swore under her breath at the fact that she didn't have a ponytail elastic with her. She felt like her ass was firmly planted in the literal as well as the proverbial the hot seat.

It was useless for her to attempt to circumvent the question. If she did, and he heard about it from Lester or Bobby, it would appear she was trying to hide something from him. "I'm at Shorty's right now," she confessed. "They told me when they came in to pick up their pizzas."

Before he could respond, she tried to distract him. "That was really nice of you to let the guys have pizza today. What's up with that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ranger admitted.

Stephanie could picture the slight shrug of his shoulder. "You don't know?" Steph frowned. Ranger didn't do anything without knowing why he did it. His behavior was getting more and more bizarre.

"Babe, you didn't answer me. "You're not at Shorty's alone are you? You know that place is dangerous."

"No, I'm not alone and my pizza is getting cold, so how about if we talk tomorrow?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line, then, "Babe, who's with you?"

Steph pulled the phone away from her mouth for a moment and blew out a sigh. Placing it back at her ear she said, "Yahsi is with me. He wanted to ride with me to see how I pick up a skip, but she wasn't home. We decided to get some lunch to kill a little time while we wait for her to get off work."

Ranger frowned. Yahsi, the little pissant, was now at the top of his shit list and the bottom dregs of his shit list. He wished he could storm over there and tell him to stay away from his woman, but the problem was, she wasn't really his woman. He just liked to think of her that way.

"Babe."

"Ranger, be careful tonight, please. I'm worried about you being distracted. You don't seem like yourself today."

"I'll be careful," Ranger promised. I have to, we have a dinner date tomorrow night, right?"

Steph laughed to herself. She didn't remember any mention of rescheduling the dinner date for tomorrow night, but she decided to just go with it. "That's right, and I don't want to be eating hospital food with you, so try not to get shot."

"Try not to go crazy with Yashi, Babe."

"I won't, Ranger. Promise. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Babe wait!" he said before she could hang up.

"Yes?"

"Uh ..." He wasn't ready to let her go, but suddenly he felt a bit tongue tied and didn't know what to say. "Miss you. Bye," he finally said before disconnecting.

XXX

Ranger tossed his cell phone on his bed and changed from his black cargo pants and boots to a pair of shorts and sneakers. He needed to go down to the gym to try to get his head on straight.

He needed to go punch the shit out of a punching bag and pretend Yashi's face was attached. He needed to figure out what he was going to do about his non-relationship relationship with Steph.

Dios! He loved her so much, he couldn't stand the thought of her getting interested in someone else. He knew it was probably wrong to keep stringing her along, but he needed to hold onto her until he could figure out a way to fix things. He needed to wait until his current government contract was over and he could plan for her long term security against the enemies he'd made over the years.

He needed to make sure he could give her what she wanted and needed. Once he got all of that taken care of, he could think about giving her that white picket fence and a child or two. She claimed to not want those things, but he wanted to be prepared in case she changed her mind some day.

On his way to the gym, he met up with Lester in the hallway. "What's wrong with you?" Les asked him.

"Nothing," Ranger barked out.

"Bullshit," Lester shot back at him. "Only one thing can put a look like that on a man's face and that's a woman."

"Go away, Lester. Just because you fuck a different woman every night of the week, it doesn't make you an expert on women."

"Ah, but I am an expert on women," Lester told him with a smirk. "If you handle them right, they're putty in your hands."

"Well, thank you, Johnny Bravo," Ranger ground out sarcastically. "Worry about your own issues with women and stop butting into mine."

"Oh, so you agree you have issues with women? Or, should I say, one woman in particular?" Les asked him pointedly.

Ranger clenched his fists at his side. "Santos, you're about five seconds away from needing to have someone scrape what's left of your sorry ass body off the canvas mat in the gym. Now get the fuck out of my face."

Lester threw his hands in the air and stepped aside to let Ranger pass. "Hope no one gets killed tonight because you couldn't get your head out of your ass," he grumbled as he stalked away.

Ranger ignored his comment and resumed making his way to the gym.

He knew he was a little off balance, and he knew why, he just wasn't sure what to do about it. Lester was right though, he needed to calm down and get his cold, steady, badass persona back into place before the take down tonight. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to one of his men because he wasn't on top of his game.

He'd also never forgive himself if he let Stephanie slip away. He'd been lucky that things didn't work out between her and Morelli and he certainly didn't want to test his good fortune again. He found himself standing in front of the punching bag, wondering if maybe he should call Dr. Drew. He'd listened to him once on the radio and the man seemed to know everything about relationships.

Ranger blinked and snorted. Of course he wouldn't call Dr. Drew. Where the hell did that thought from? _Desperation, that's where_, he reminded himself, but he'd fix things without resorting to calling a radio shrink. Christ! He was out of control, but was going to start getting it back right this damn minute.

XXX

Stephanie closed her phone and leaned back against the building. She closed her eyes and thought about how Ranger had been acting all day. It was so unlike him.

It was ridiculously hot outside and she reached up to wipe away a trickle of sweat that was running down her temple from her hairline.

She blew out a weary sigh and decided she needed to get back inside before Yashi started thinking she'd abandoned him.

She never heard him coming, but suddenly, someone grabbed her by her upper arm and yanked her away from the building.

Her eyes flew open and she found herself face to face with a creepy looking man who appeared to be around thirty years old. He was about six feet tall and had straggly black hair that fell into a greasy, pathetic looking, collar length shag hair cut.

She tried to yank her arm away as her eyes scanned the back parking lot to see if anyone was around to help her. Not a soul in sight. Certainly someone would pull in soon, it was almost time for the lunch hour to start.

The man squeezed her arm tighter when she tried to get away. Her turned her around, then grabbed her other arm and pulled them both behind her. Her back was now to him as he shoved her across the parking lot.

She kept trying to jerk away from him and was just getting ready to scream when he told her that if she opened her mouth, he'd put a bullet into it.

Steph was slightly scared, but not ready to panic yet. She'd been in worse situations and had come out alive. She just needed to keep her wits about her and wait for an opportunity to make an offensive move.

She cursed to herself as she realized her bag with her pepper spray, gun and cuffs was inside the restaurant with Yashi.

She started to get really pissed when she felt the creep start to wrap something around her wrists. She could tell it was a rough piece of rope and wondered where it came from. She hadn't noticed it in his hands when he first grabbed her.

When he jerked at the knot he'd tied, it caused her to lose her grip on her cell phone. She heard it crack as it hit the asphalt and grimaced when the asshole stopped and deliberately crushed it with the heel of his faux snakeskin cowboy boot.

She scanned the parking lot again and still no one. The man was guiding her toward an old rusted out van and she knew she needed to make a move soon. She decided that when they reached the van, she'd try to turn around and give him a knee to the groin. It was one of her best moves.

She wasn't sure she believed he really had a gun. He couldn't have been holding on to a gun while he was wrapping the rope around her wrists and tying it. Still, he could have one tucked into the waistband of his dirty jeans. She needed to give him a solid jab to his nuts before he had a chance to reach for it.

Suddenly, things started happening so fast, Stephanie wasn't sure of the exact sequence of events until later. The sliding side door on the van opened and another grubby man was waiting inside, holding a gun pointed at Stephani's face. At the same time, Yashi had silently reached them and grabbed the arm of the man that was holding her, spinning them both around. He grabbed Stephanie away from him and pushed her out of the way. She landed on the ground on her knees, but she was able to get herself turned around so she could see what was happening.

The man inside the van was so surprised, he fired his gun, but instead of shooting Yashi, his bullet penetrated his friend in the back. Startled at his own mistake, he dropped the gun and Yashi lunged forward, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him from the van.

Stephanie watched as the man tried to take a swing at Yashi, but Yashi ducked and quickly performed some kind of martial arts move. He had the situation under control in a flash. She saw Yashi's hand come down on the back of the gunman's neck and the imbecile collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

She looked up at him in wonder. "My hero, the karate man," said with a smile.

Yashi hurried over and crouched down behind Stephanie. "Are you okay, Steph?" he asked as he worked at the knot in the rope. Her hands were soon free and Yashi stood and helped her to her feet.

"Yes, thank you," she told him, still a bit breathless from all the commotion. "I never heard you coming."

"That was the plan," Yashi said with a smile. "Thank god I came out here when I did. I was getting worried about how long your call was taking so I came out to check on you. I'm so relieved you're okay. I'd hug you right now, but I'm covered with that asshole's blood," he said with a scowl, as he glanced down at his white shirt and then at the man with the bullet hole.

"I brought your purse with me," he told her, glancing behind him where her bag was sitting on the ground. Let's cuff this other guy before he comes to." He picked up the purse and handed it to Steph.

She dug around and retrieved her cuffs, then snapped them onto the man's wrists behind his back after Yashi rolled him over.

Yashi then squatted down and felt for a pulse on the guy who had been shot. He shook his head at Steph, indicating he couldn't detect one. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed 911.

By the time the police, medical examiner and the ambulance came and went, two hours had passed. Stephanie still hadn't eaten and her stomach let out a loud growl.

"Yashi grinned at her and said, "We still need to get you something to eat and I need to change out of this bloody clothing. Let's head over to my house. I've got plenty of food and you can eat while I shower and change."

It wasn't exactly what Stephanie had in mind, but it was true that she was really hungry and true that Yashi needed to change his clothing, so she agreed. "Okay," she told him. "Give me a second though."

Yashi, nodded and watched as she walked toward the dumpster at the back of the parking lot, then dug through her purse and tossed something into the trash. He wondered what that was all about.

Stephanie walked back to where Yashi was standing and said, "Ready," without explaining.

She had ditched her tracker. Not that she wanted to worry anyone at RangeMan, but if Ranger checked and saw her tracker at a strange address, he'd probably check it out. It was only a matter of time before he heard about the incident at Shorty's, if he hadn't already. She didn't want to make things even more complicated when he discovered the address where the tracker was located was Yashi's house, so she had to get rid of it.

They walked to the Mercedes together and Yashi opened and held the passenger door for her, closing it after she buckled herself in.

He opened the trunk and pulled a stadium blanket out to sit on, hoping he could keep the blood on his clothing from getting on his car seat. A lot of it was dry by now, but he didn't want to take any chances. He'd just had the car detailed a couple weeks ago.

They were quiet on the drive to his house. Yashi lost in thought about the shooting incident and the fear that had slammed into his chest when he walked out the back door at Shorty's and saw a strange man forcing Stephanie toward an old brown van.

Stephanie, on the other hand, had already shoved the incident to the back of her mind and was thinking about Ranger. This was one of the few times she'd been involved in a shooting incident where Ranger hadn't shown up almost immediately. She wondered where he was and what he was doing. Maybe he was getting tired of picking up the pieces after each and every crazy life threatening experience she found herself in.

She hoped that wasn't the case. It's not like she planned all this drama. Still, it seemed odd that he hadn't been there. It could be that he hadn't heard about it yet, but that would be odd too. It seemed like every time she got in trouble, he was one of the first to know.

She started to regret throwing away the tracker. After all, the trip to Yashi's house was completely innocent. It only made sense that he would want to shower and change out of his blood splattered clothing. She remembered Ranger's reaction to Yashi earlier that day and it hadn't been wrapped in warm fuzzies, so her first thought was to get rid of the tracker and cover her tracks. She hoped it didn't come back to bite her on the ass.


	5. Chapter 5

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 5 **

Ranger spent forty-five minutes thrashing the hell out of a high quality brown leather punching bag and probably would have still been working it over if Tank hadn't come to the gym and told him to give it a rest.

Normally, Ranger didn't take orders from Tank or anyone else, but it appeared as though Tank wanted to speak with him so he pulled off his gloves and tossed them on a bench, then grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Report," Ranger ordered, feeling a lot more like his old self.

Tank handed him a bottle of water and said, "I don't have anything to report. I just wanted to check on you. You okay, man?" He zeroed in on Ranger's eyes so he could pick up on any subtle hints they might give out if Ranger tried to obscure his true state of mind.

"I'm fine now," Ranger told him. Just needed to get my game attitude on for tonight." He opened the bottle of water and guzzled at least half of it in one long swallow. "Lester come to see you?"

"He's just concerned," Tank told him with a shrug. "What happened with you today, anyway?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"You weren't fine earlier," Tank insisted.

Ranger ignored the remark. "Did you hear Vinnie sold the bonds office?"

Tank nodded. "Yep. I talked to Lula a little while ago."

"She tell you his name?" Ranger asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, but I don't remember it now," Tank admitted. "Starts with a Y, I think. Give me a minute and it might come to me."

"Don't strain your brain," Ranger advised as he brushed past Tank. "Apparently, it only rolls off the tip of your tongue if you're female. You have to be able to comprehend the eloquent expression, _sex on a tiki torch_, whatever the fuck that means."

"I think it means he's hot," Tank said with a shrug.

He followed closely on Ranger's heels as he headed for the stairs. "You following me to the shower, Pierre? Because that's where I'm headed."

"I need to talk to you," Tank, replied. "And cut out the Pierre shit."

"Talk."

"Not here," Tank told him. "Why don't I meet you in your office in about fifteen minutes?"

"Can't," Ranger told him. "Hector is installing one of the new cameras that came in yesterday and I told him I wanted to be there when the first unit was put in place.

"It's the one we've been waiting for. It has a built in microchip and some kind of wireless technology. When it takes a picture of the perp's face, it automatically sends a scan of it to our system. Our system immediately starts running a search for a match. A quick match means we know who we're looking for much sooner than in the past. The faster we know who we're looking for, the faster we can track them down."

"That'll be a sweet piece of equipment if it pans out," Tank stated.

"No shit," Ranger agreed. "If it works as expected, we could know who the perpetrator is within ten minutes of the alarm going off. In some cases, we could have a positive I.D. before the asshole leaves the building."

"Excellent," Tank said, knowing he had no choice but to put off his talk with Ranger. "I would like to talk to you before the take down tonight, though."

"Sure," Ranger nodded. "I'll check in with you when I get back."

They parted ways, Tank heading back to his office and Ranger to the seventh floor to shower and change.

XXX

It was only a twenty minute drive from Shorty's Bar to Yashi's house, but my how drastically the real estate value and property taxes could change in such a short distance.

Yashi lived in a gated community with large two story, brick homes. Front yards were perfectly manicured, back yards had pools and expensive gas grills and the garages were all over-sized.

He used his key to let them in, punched a code into the alarm system, then led Stephanie to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home," he said, his dimples on display, courtesy of his warm smile.

He walked over and opened the refrigerator. I know there's potato salad, macaroni salad, cold cuts and quite a bit of leftover lasagna. Microwave is there," he pointed toward the counter to their right. "Plates are up there," pointing to a cupboard, "and silverware in that drawer," he continued. "I'd get them for you, but my hands are filthy at the moment."

"No, it's fine," Stephanie told him. "Your kitchen is beautiful and I'm sure I'll find everything. Would you like me to fix something for you too?"

"No thanks. I actually ate _my _pizza," he said with a wink. "I'll be back in ten minutes," he said, ending the conversation and heading to the shower.

Stephanie washed her hands at the kitchen sink, drying them on a nearby dish towel. It took her only a few moments to locate the pan of lasagna, transfer a wedge to a plate and place it in the microwave to heat.

While she waited for her food, she took a better look around the kitchen. It was spotless and everything looked like new. The appliances were top of the line and everything that was supposed to shine was shiny. She wondered if he had an Ella in his life.

The microwave dinged and Stephanie placed the plate of lasagna on the island counter, then settled onto one of the oak and leather barstools at the end of the counter. From that vantage point, she had a view of the doorway Yashi had disappeared through.

True to his word, Yashi was back in ten minutes. He had changed into a pair of jeans, but was shirtless. He didn't have Ranger's eight pack, but he had one hell of a gorgeous four pack. His hair was still damp and he had a fluffy white towel draped around his neck. "Have you seen my red Broadway Is Not Dead t-shirt?" he joked as he walked past Stephanie toward what she assumed was the laundry room.

That made her laugh. "Not lately," she told him. "Sorry."

"Probably in the dryer," he replied over his shoulder. Stephanie heard the door to the dryer open at the same time the doorbell rang.

"Well rats," Yashi said, coming back out of the laundry room. "Are you expecting someone?" he joked again on his way to the door.

"I know I've lived here all of 15 minutes," she told him with a laugh, but I swear I didn't steal your t-shirt nor did I invite anyone over. Maybe the police have more questions," she suggested.

Yashi opened the front door and his eyes widened a bit at the sight of the familiar man in front of him. Yashi opened the door wider and waved his hand toward the living room, inviting him in.

Steph was finished with her lasagna, and being from the 'Burg, her DNA contained an overabundance of curiosity molecules. She stepped out of the kitchen into the short hallway that faced the front door just as Ranger stepped inside.

It was never determined who was more shocked, Stephanie or Ranger, but it was Stephanie who spoke first. Her eyes narrowed as she said, "Are you following me?"

"Babe," Ranger replied. Years of practice normally allowed his blank face to slide into place with little or no effort, but the sight in front of him hit him like an eighteen wheeler traveling at 80 miles per hour.

Stephanie's hair was a mess, she was wearing socks, but not shoes, her t-shirt was only partly tucked into her jeans and the knees of her jeans were dirty, like she'd been down on the ground.

Ranger glanced from her to a shirtless Yashi. It was clear he'd just stepped out of the shower and it took little effort for Ranger to conjure up unwanted images of the two of them playing and rolling around with each other in Yashi's back yard.

"Ranger?" Stephanie said a little louder. "I asked if you were following me?"

Ranger shut down the torturous R rated film reel that was playing in his mind and cleared his throat. "No, Babe, I wasn't following you. Hector and I were headed to an installation job two streets over when I got a call from the control room about a silent alarm at this address.

"Hal called _me_ instead of sending out a team because we were right here. I dropped Hector off and drove over to check it out."

He turned to Yashi then, willing himself to have enough control to not wrap his hands around the man's neck and strangle him right in front of Stephanie. "It looks like a bird flew into one of your upstairs windows and cracked it. I found a crow, still warm, on the ground beneath the window and I can see the crack from the ground. It appears to have set off your alarm."

Ranger turned to the alarm panel next to the door and reset it. Just as he turned back to face Stephanie, his cell phone rang. It was Tank. He figured it must be important since Tank knew he'd be back at the office in less than two hours.

"Yo," he said, after he opened his phone and placed it to his ear.

"Yo, Rangeman. I just got some disturbing news. There was a shooting at Shorty's today and Bomber was involved. From the little I've been able to find out, so far, she's okay. Some jerk with a rope and a gun nabbed her in the parking lot, but that Yashi guy from the bonds office stepped in and got her away from him. Thought you might want to check on her. Her tracker shows up as still being at Shorty's, but I just talked to Shorty and she's not there."

The news left Ranger stunned and wondering who got shot and who did the shooting, but he'd find all that out in a minute. "Steph is fine," he told Tank. I'm looking at her right now." He snapped his phone shut, clipped it on his belt and raised his head to look at Stephanie. "Babe, where's your tracker?"

Yashi looked at Stephanie with great interest. It suddenly dawned on him that the tracker must be what she'd pulled from her purse and tossed in the dumpster.

Stephanie blew out a long breath and said, "It's gone."

Ranger's eyes cut to Yashi and then back to Stephanie. "Can I speak to you outside for a minute, Babe?"

Stephanie softly said, "Excuse us," to Yashi, but barely glanced his way as she followed Ranger outside onto the porch.

Suddenly, the nearness of Ranger and the familiar scent of his shower gel and the fact that he hadn't shown up at Shorty's when she was in trouble combined to cause her bottom lip to start to quiver. She reached out for him and wordlessly latched on to the front his shirt. Ranger gently grabbed her arms and pulled her against him.

"Babe, what happened today?" he asked softly. His arms were around her, his hands lightly running up and down her back. She was quiet for a few minutes and he knew she was trying to control her tears.

He leaned his head down and nuzzled her neck and whispered close to her ear. "It's okay, I'm here now. I'm sorry I didn't know about what happened at Shorty's, but I'm here now."

His soft voice made her cling tighter to him and made him realize just how off-center the whole incident had thrown her. She'd been through things like this before, but he had always been there to either rescue her or had quickly shown up on the scene to comfort her. Today, he had regretfully been off-center himself, and had failed her. The thought made him miserable and he despised himself for letting her down.

He leaned back a bit and brushed some of her messy curls back from her face. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Tell me what happened, Babe."

Stephanie took a step back and drew in a deep breath. She told Ranger the story of what happened at Shorty's.

Ranger was quiet for a moment after she finished. He felt a sudden twinge of guilt for jumping to conclusions a few minutes earlier when he'd pictured her with Yashi in all sorts of compromising positions. He should have known better. This was his Babe and she doesn't do casual sex. She'd just met Yashi this morning, so all his crazy thoughts crossed the line into the territory of absurdity.

He sighed to himself. Only Stephanie could torture his mind this way. In every other aspect of his life, he was cool, calm and collected. With Stephanie, he was crazy, conflicted and challenged and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he loved her beyond all reason.

He pulled her against his chest again and held her tightly. "Thank god you weren't hurt," he whispered against her wild curls. "What happened to your tracker, Babe?" She'd left that part out.

Not willing to out and out lie to him, she said, "I threw it in the dumpster behind Shorty's."

Ranger frowned. "Why?"

"Because, I figured you'd hear about what happened and I didn't want you to follow me here. I was afraid you'd jump to the wrong conclusion."

And he had, he berated himself in his mind again. "Why did you go out into Shorty's parking lot alone without your cuffs, gun and pepper stray?"

Stephanie sighed again and pushed herself away from him. "I thought I'd only be out there a few seconds," she explained. "The average phone call with you lasts about ten seconds, ya know? I figured I'd be back inside way before anything could happen."

Ranger looked her over from head to toe again to assure himself she wasn't injured. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Okay, we'll talk more about this later. You need a ride home?"

"No thank you. My car is at the bonds office. I'll have Yashi drive me back."

It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, but he knew it made the most sense. She and Yashi were both headed back to the office and Hector was waiting for him at the installation job.

He opened the door to let her back into house and followed her in. Yashi was leaning against the doorway where the hallway and living room met, his arms crossed over his chest. He was now wearing a t-shirt and had donned socks and a pair of sneakers. He stepped closer when Stephanie and Ranger came back in.

Ranger gave him a nod and said, "Thanks, man."

"Anytime," Yashi replied. "Though I guess it's not likely anything like that will ever happen to her again, thank God."

Unexpectedly, Ranger threw his head back and laughed. Stephanie lightly kicked him in the shin and Yashi looked at the two of them with a curious frown.

"You don't even want to know," Ranger said. He leaned down and kissed Steph's forehead and then dropped a light kiss on her lips before he walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Yashi started to ask Stephanie what that was all about, but decided the conversation could wait until they were in the car.

"I'll drive you back to the bonds office," he said. "I don't know about you, but I've had enough excitement for one day. We can go looking for Denise Hocker tomorrow, if that works for you."

"Sure," Stephanie agreed, sliding her feet into her boots. All she wanted to do was get home so she could talk to Rex, take a hot shower and collapse on her bed.

Stephanie leaned her head back on the headrest of the Mercedes as Yashi headed back to the office. She shuddered when she finally allowed her mind to think back over the earlier events at Shorty's. If Yashi hadn't come out when he did, who knows where she'd be right now and what the outcome would be? She'd had so many close calls and for the first time since she started working as a bounty hunter, she had a niggling feeling that at some point, her luck could suddenly run out.

"You okay?" Yashi asked softly?

"Yeah, I'm fine. One bad guy is dead, the other in custody, you're a superhero, and Ranger didn't come unglued when he found out I tossed my tracker in the garbage. Life is good," she finished with a small laugh.

"Speaking of Ranger, you still want to stick to that story about the two of you being just friends?" he asked, raising a doubtful eyebrow.

Stephanie let out a sigh and turned to look out the passenger window. "It's complicated, Yashi."

"Explain it to me," he said. It didn't come out as a command, it was more like an invitation. "I can solve anything," he boasted with a grin.

She turned away from the window and looked at him then. "You barely know me. Why would you want to hear all about my ... personal drama?"

Yashi shrugged. "I'm just interested. The fact that I hardly know you is good because I can be more objective than if we were good friends. I'll look at all sides of the situation and have a solution for you in under three minutes."

Stephanie snorted. "Wow, the three minute shrink. Well, let's see ... "

"Oh wait!" Yashi interrupted. I see a Dairy Queen up ahead. Let's get a cone and sit at one of the picnic tables then you can tell me all about it. You game?"

"I'm thirty-three years old and I've never once turned down ice cream," she told him as her answer.

"Wonderful. You like sprinkles or dipped in chocolate or both."

"Duh," Stephanie said with a grin.

"Both it is," Yashi said with a laugh as he pulled into the DQ parking lot. "You go grab that table over there under the big tree and I'll get our cones."

Stephanie settled herself on the bench of the picnic table that Yashi had indicated, and five minutes later he joined her, handing her a large ice cream cone and a handful of napkins.

She didn't quite understand why she was about to confide in him, but somehow it just seemed like the right thing to do. Because of what they had been through together at Shorty's, a strong connection had formed between them and she was pretty sure they'd be friends for a long time to come. Her spidey sense didn't just warn her when something was wrong, it also gave a peaceful hum when things were right. At the moment, her spidey sense was telling her that Yashi was a good person who had her best interests at heart.

He sat across from her and gave her a wink. "Okay, spill your guts. Don't leave out any essential details or this won't work."

Stephanie sighed and between bites and licks of her ice cream she explained her non-relationship relationship with Ranger. She didn't tell him why Ranger thought things would be too dangerous for her, just that it was because of work he had been involved in in the past. She didn't mention the government or the military missions or that the work was top secret. The whole story took several minutes. When she stopped talking, she glanced at her watch. "Okay, you have three minutes. Go!"

Yashi grinned at her. "Oh hell, this one will take less than a minute. I already have the answer for you."

Stephanie's eyes widened. "What? How could that be? What is the solution?"

"Let me just make sure I have the basic facts straight," he said. "The two of you are in love. That's apparent to anyone who looks at you. You know it, he knows it, but you both fight your feelings. That's got to stop. You spend a certain amount of time with him at work, you're best friends and you have lunch together 3 or 4 times a week and dinner together about 3 times a week. Do I have this correct so far?"

"Yes."

"The problem comes in because he says he doesn't do relationships and you say you don't do casual sex."

"Right," Stephanie agreed.

"So," Yashi said with a smile, "you tell him that you've changed your mind and that you now do casual sex."

Stephanie's eyebrows shot up. "What? No, I don't."

Yashi rolled his eyes. "Steph, do you think that if the two of you started sleeping together that he'd be faithful to you?"

Stephanie tossed that question around in her head for a few seconds. "Yes, I think that would actually be as important to him as it would be to me."

"Okay, then you just add a clause or amendment or whatever you want to call it. You'll tell him you now do casual sex as long as it's exclusive. I know that sounds contrary, but the two of you are just basically playing a word game anyway."

Stephanie thought it over for a moment. She'd finished her cone and was wiping her fingers off with a napkin. "I dunno, it sounds too easy."

"That's because it is easy, Stephanie. The two of you already have a relationship. The only thing missing is the sex, right?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay, well, you said neither of you want marriage and neither of you want children. You already eat several meals together each week, you're good friends, spend time together at work and love each other. As soon as you start doing your amended version of casual sex, you'll both have exactly what you want, a no marriage, no children, no strings attached, exclusive relationship with great sex. Just don't refer to it as a relationship in front of him."

Stephanie frowned. "How do you know the sex would be great?"

Yashi gave her a big dimpled grin. "Bounty hunter, please. I've been in the same room with the two of you. I thought I was going to have to purchase a second air conditioning unit to cool the place off."

Steph felt the color creep into her face. "But I don't think I could handle it if he only drops by every few weeks to spend the night."

"Not gonna happen, Steph. Once you give him the green light and take the pressure off the relationship aspect, he'll likely start spending more time with you than ever. You probably won't be able to get rid of him."

"You really think so?"

"Indeed," Yashi said. "I can almost guarantee it. He's a hot blooded male, you're a beautiful woman and from what it sounds like, this thing has been simmering between the two of you for a long time." He paused and reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Go for it, Stephanie."

"I'll think about," she told him.

"Steph, you've been thinking about it for years. Just do this and once everthing falls into place you're going to be sorry you waited so long to implement it."

Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip as she thought it over some more. "I just may do this, Yashi, but I really do need at least overnight to think about all the angles. I've waited this long, one more day won't hurt anything."

"That's probably true," Yashi agreed. "But, if you put it off for too long, you'll likely find me giving you another nudge in that direction."

"Fair enough," Steph agreed.

**A/N – Wanted to take a minute to thank all of you who have taken the time to send me a review. I love reading your comments and reactions! **


	6. Chapter 6

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 6 **

Yashi drove back to the bonds office, dropped Stephanie off at her car, then parked and went inside. He greeted Connie with a smile. "Everything okay while I was out?"

"Everything was fine here," she told him. "I'm glad to see you though. Is Steph okay? Lula and I heard about what happened at Shorty's."

"Yes, she's okay. I believe I was more rattled than Stephanie," he confessed.

Connie snorted. "No doubt. Things like that must be getting old to her because they don't seem to phase her much any more."

Yashi frowned. "This has happened to her before?"

Connie put her pen down and sat back in her chair. "Oh yeah. That and worse. You should stop by the main library one day when you have time to spare. Stephanie is a local celebrity. They have an entire scrapbook on her with all the articles and pictures from the Trenton Times over the years. It's fascinating, really."

Yashi put his hands on his hips and stood there staring at his shoes, trying to decide what to do. His original plan was to go into his office and call Ranger to set up an appointment to speak with him about the high bond skips. However, the temptation to go to the library and peruse the 'Stephanie Collection' was just too tempting.

"Connie, I've got to run another errand or two. Steph is off for the rest of the day and headed home. I'll be back later to lock up. Do you need me to pick anything up for you while I'm out?"

Connie stared at him for a moment in disbelief. In all the years she'd worked for Vinnie, he'd never once offered to bring something back for her or even for the office. "No, but thanks for asking," she told him with a big smile. For a bossman, you're alright."

"Good to know," Yashi said, gifting her with a bone melting smile. "For an office manager, I believe you're top-notch."

He walked back to his office and checked the phone book for the address of the library, then locked his office, waved goodbye to Connie and headed out the door.

Ten minutes later, he was standing in the library, his eyes wide with wonder. Connie was right, but not only did they have an album with a collection of articles and pictures, the album actually had it's own display table and was flanked by framed pictures of Stephanie.

The cover of the large blue leather album was embossed with silver lettering that said: '_Stephanie Plum, Trenton's Own Bombshell Bounty Hunter._' Yashi went to the counter and asked if he could take the album to a reading table to look through it and permission was granted.

He carried the album to an empty table and spent the next two and a half hours reading the most remarkable and frightening stories he could imagine.

After he read through it once, he went back up to the counter and begged a couple pieces of paper from the librarian to make notes on. He went back through the album, writing down dates and specific details. When he was through, he placed the album back on the display table, left the library and went back to his car. On his way to the office, he pulled into McDonald's and ordered a large coffee, picking it up at the drive-thru window.

Once back at his desk, he read through the notes again and highlighted things he didn't want to forget. Not that any of it was forgettable. He was really quite shaken up when he read all the things she'd been through in just over three years time.

It seemed her life was always in danger and he couldn't imagine why she continued to do this type of job. Surely there were hundreds of jobs for which she was much better suited.

He spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out why she continued to stick with it and wondered if it was because it gave her something in common with Ranger. Speaking of Ranger, he wondered if the man approved of this job or if he'd ever tried to talk her into trying something else.

He flipped through Vinnie's Rolodex, found the number for RangeMan and dialed it.

"RangeMan, how may I help you?" came the deep voice on the other end.

"I'd like to speak with Carlos Manoso," he told the man.

"Ranger isn't in the office right now, may I take a message?"

"Yes, please ask him to call Yasahiro Nakamura. I'll give you the number."

"Uh, can I get the spelling of your name?"

"Just tell him Yashi from the bonds office called, he'll know who it is. He can ..."

"Oh, sir, excuse me," the deep voice interrupted. "Ranger said if you called, I should give you his cell phone number."

"Great, that'll work." Yashi wrote down the number and thanked the man for his help.

He dialed Ranger's number next.

"Yo," Ranger said when he answered.

"Hello, Ranger. This is Yashi."

"I'm glad you called," Ranger told him. "I wanted to thank you again for helping Stephanie this morning, and we need to make an appointment to discuss the high bond FTAs."

"First of all," Yashi told him, "no thanks are necessary. I'm just glad I was able to intervene before it was too late. As far as an appointment goes, do you have a time in mind that you'd be able to stop by tomorrow?"

"Yes. I have meetings in the morning and I'm taking a client to lunch, but I can stop by around three pm if that works for you."

"I'll make sure I'm here at that time," Yashi said.

They disconnected and Yashi spent a few more minutes going over his notes on Stephanie. He was still trying to make sense of it all when Connie tapped on his door. "Come in," he called out.

Connie opened the door a bit and said, "Unless you need me to do something, I'm heading out for the day."

Yashi stood from his chair and said, "No, I'm good, but I'll walk you to the door."

Once Connie was gone, Yashi locked the front door, went back to his office and tore a sheet of paper from his legal pad. He had a plan and spent a few minutes writing down the things he wanted to go over with Stephanie the next day. This was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done when it came to an employee, but he believed it was necessary.

With that done, he locked his office and headed for home.

XXX

Ranger pulled into the underground garage at RangeMan and took the stairs to the fifth floor. He stopped in the break room and grabbed two bottles of water, then made his way to Tank's office. Since the door was open, he walked right in and flopped down in the guest chair in front of the desk.

"Hey man," Tank greeted him. "I can't believe Bomber dodged another bullet today. The guys around here used to say she has nine lives and I haven't actually kept count, but she's gotta be way past nine near misses."

"Tell me about it," Ranger agreed, handing Tank a bottle of water. "She's going to be the death of me. I can't believe I let her down today. I don't know what the fuck I was thinking."

Tank frowned. "How did you let her down?"

"I knew she was at Shorty's and I knew none of us were with her. I should have called one of the guys and sent them over there. You have any Advil in here?"

Tank opened his top left desk drawer, grabbed the bottle of Advil and air-mailed it across the desk to Ranger. "Man, you can't blame yourself and you can't have someone follow her 24/7 when there aren't any current known threats. Besides, she wasn't alone, right? Vinnie's replacement was with her."

"Yashi," Ranger said shaking his head. "This morning, I hated his guts, This afternoon, I was thanking him for saving her life." He tossed three Advil tablets into his mouth and washed them down with water.

"So, what's this guy like?" Tank asked. He'd already run a search on Yashi, but he wanted Ranger's opinion before he told him about it.

"Five ten, 170 pounds, Asian descent, well dressed, well spoken, Midwest accent. Looks more like a business executive than a bonds agent."

"Maybe we'll see Yashi and Les Sebring in a fall fashion show this year," Tank joked.

Ranger snorted. "Now that you mention it, I guess Les does dress like an executive, doesn't he? Maybe Vinnie is the only bondsman in New Jersey that dresses like a former member of Sha Na Na."

Tank threw his head back and laughed. "Oh man, I forgot all about Sha Na Na. What was the name of the tall greaser guy who wore the tight black t-shirts and muscle shirts?"

"Shit, I don't know," Ranger said, crossing his left ankle over his right knee.

"The hell you don't," Tank challenged him. "You just like people to think you're immune to pop culture."

"Fuck you," Ranger said with a hint of a smile.

"I'll give you a hundred dollars if you tell his name," Tank said.

"Jon "Bowzer" Bauman," Ranger said. "Pay up, Pierre."

"You motherfucker," Tank said, rising up enough to get his wallet out of his back pocket. He opened the black leather wallet, pulled a hundred dollar bill out and slid it across the desk.

Ranger reached for the hundred and tucked it into his pocket. "What did you want to talk to me about earlier today?"

Tank blew out a long breath. "I was just worried about you, man. You weren't acting yourself and we had one badass mofo to bring in tonight."

"What do you mean, _had_?" Ranger asked with a frown.

"I was just getting ready call you when you walked into my office," Tank said. "You're not going to believe what happened.

"Hal and Cal had been tailing the guy all day to make sure we didn't lose sight of him in case he didn't show up tonight at the tattoo parlor we'd been tipped off about. Anyway, at one point the guy was gassing up his piece of shit pickup truck at a gas station on McCarter Highway in Newark and got stung by a bee.

"Turns out, he's allergic and started swelling up like a balloon. Hal got out of his SUV, walked across the street, cuffed him and called 911."

Ranger's eyes grew wide. "No shit? Thank you state of New Jersey for switching to self serve gas stations last month. Cha-ching! That was a two million dollar bond which makes a nice payday for us. I'll have to throw a little extra bonus cash Cal and Hal's way."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate that," Tank told him. "So, you feeling better now?"

"I'm fine, Tank. I just had a momentary ... " Ranger's voice grew quiet, not quite knowing what to call what had happened to him earlier in the day.

"Momentary jealous hissy fit?" Tank supplied.

Ranger scowled at his friend. "I guess the name Pierre must be growing on you."

"Not now, not ever," Tank barked out.

"Have we checked yet to see if the two guys that attacked Stephanie were past FTAs she brought in?"

Tank nodded. "Yes, we checked. No, they weren't. Those assholes are not even from around here. They're from Tennessee and were wanted in every state between here and there."

"For the same type of thing?" Ranger asked.

"That and worse," Tank told him. A trail of twelve dead women between here and Tennessee has been attributed to them. These women have been completely brutalized. Raped, tortured, some decapitated, some chopped into little pieces. It's horrifying. I shudder to think they almost got Steph in their clutches."

A chill ran through Ranger's body as Tank relayed the gruesome details of a fate his Babe had barely managed to escape. His gut twisted into a knot and his body was shaking with anger.

"Ranger, you okay, man?"

Ranger rubbed his eyes, then looked at Tank. "Yeah. Listen, if you've got things covered here, I'm going to take off for a bit. Steph's phone got destroyed today. I'm going to go pick up a new one for her and then stop by to check on her. Check her tracker for me and see if she's home."

Tank clicked a few keys on his keyboard. "Yep. At least her car is there. With Stephanie, you never know. I've got things handled here. Go."

As he walked away, Tank knew he was doing this as much for himself as he was for Steph. After hearing those gory details, Ranger needed to see her again to assure himself that she was indeed alive and well. Tank shook his head. He wished the two of them would stop dancing in circles around each other and just mate.

A minute later, Ranger stuck his head back in Tank's doorway. "We need to run a search on Yashi. Can you get Rodriguez on that before the day is over?"

"Already taken care of." I got the correct spelling of his name off the police report and ran it myself. The guy is clean as a whistle," Tank told him, digging the search results pages out of the basket on his desk.

"Born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, comes from a stable home. Mother is a school teacher, dad is a lawyer. He's a Harvard grad with honors and multiple degrees including a law degree. He's also a CFA.

"He's owned several businesses and has a net worth of 27 million big ones. Sits on the board of three charitable foundations and is a big supporter of the Humane Society.

"Moved to Trenton a month ago when he first decided to buy the bonds business, but still has a home in New York. He's a karate master and has participated three times in the Boston Marathon. Never been married, but dated a Broadway dancer for five years.

"In 2006 he donated a million dollars to the Boy Scouts of America. In 2008 he donated a million dollars to the Girl Scouts. In 2010 he donated a million dollars to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization."

"Christ, the guy's a fucking saint," Ranger said, interrupting him.

"Pretty much," Tank agreed. "No arrests, no messy divorces, no suspicious gaps in his history. Seems to be a really good guy."

Ranger gave Tank a smirk. "Not sure if I should be happy about that or miserable," he said.

Tank raised an eyebrow at him. "You get a hinky feeling about him?"

"Nope, not at all. Just wanted to run a check to be sure. One more thing. How'd we miss the 911 call today? Was the police scanner down?"

Tank shook his head. "No, man, but what happened is a mistake I'll never make again. I had two contract workers in the control room today. I talked with them later and they'd heard the call, but it meant nothing to them. They don't know Steph, had no idea who Yashi was and just knew dispatch had spoken to a man who called in a shooting incident. From now on, I'll always pair a contract worker with a RangeMan employee, I don't care what it's for. Control room, phones, the desk downstairs, doesn't matter."

Ranger just gave a curt nod and walked away. He wasn't really angry with Tank, but it did drive home the point that just one small oversight on their part could end in tragedy.

XXX

A half hour later, Ranger let himself into Stephanie's apartment. He put her new phone on the kitchen counter, said a quiet hello to Rex and made his way to her bedroom.

She was sound asleep on her back which told him she had started out in her thinking position and fell asleep before she could turn over.

She had showered and changed since he'd seen her earlier in the day. Her hair was a bit frizzy from drying without the benefit of hair products. She was wearing pink boy shorts and a thin white cotton tank top. She was gorgeous and sexy and curvy and he adored everything about her.

He wanted so badly to climb in bed with her, but he didn't want to disturb her. Plus, it was murder to be in bed next to her and have to keep his hands to himself.

His heart constricted and his hands started shaking again when he thought about what Tank told him of her would-be abductors.

He walked over to the corner of the room and lowered himself into the upholstered chair to watch her sleep for a while. Maybe if he stared at her long enough, he'd convince his mind that he would never lose her. He knew he wouldn't be able to cope if something horrible happened to her.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees then lowered his face to his hands. Now it wasn't just FTAs and random attackers he had to worry about. There was Saint Yashi, God of the Tiki Torches, karate master, and rescuer of damsels in distress. He had saved Stephanie's life today and Ranger knew it would automatically cause an unspoken bond to form between them. Stephanie never forgot when people were good or kind or helpful to her. She would give Yashi her undying loyalty from now on and Yahsi would feel inclined to watch over her.

Ranger knew he had to figure out a way to speed up his plans. Someone had once told him that her life was in more danger than his and it had nothing to do with his past. It seems they were right. He wanted and needed, to figure out a way to keep her closer to him. She also needed a refresher course on being aware of her surroundings, not putting herself in dangerous situations, staying armed at all times and holding onto her tracker. Dios, she was a handful, but he wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

He thought about the way she'd reached out to him on Yashi's front porch earlier in the day. She'd never done that before. He always touched her first. It made him happy to know that even though Yashi was the one who had saved her, _he_ was the one she wanted to have hold her. It was a realization he cherished.

Twenty minutes later, his gut was more relaxed and his hands had stopped shaking. He left her room and went to the kitchen to write her a note, then started to leave. He opened the door, then closed it again, and went back to add a sign-off to the bottom of the note that said, _Love, R_. Thirty seconds later, he let himself back in and stuck the note in his pocket then wrote a new note that he just signed with an R.

_You're an idiot_, _Manoso_, he chastised himself on his way back out the door.

XXX

Stephanie slept until 7:30 pm and as soon as she woke up she knew Ranger had been there. Partly it was because she could smell the lingering scent of his shower gel and partly because the atmosphere in her room just felt different. It didn't feel quite as empty and isolated as it did when she first crawled into bed.

After using the bathroom, she made her way to the kitchen and flipped on the light. She greeted Rex and then saw the phone and note on the counter. She picked up the note and read it:

_Babe,_

_Thought you could use this. You still have your same phone number. Looking forward to dinner tomorrow night. R._

She'd need to re-enter all her speed dial numbers, but in the meantime, she dialed one she knew by heart.

"Yo," he said, picking up on the second ring.

"Yo, yourself, Ranger. Thanks for the phone. I'll pay you back when I see you tomorrow night."

"No need. It was a gift, Babe."

Stephanie hesitated. Normally, she'd argue about it because she was always costing him money, but she wasn't going to do that any more. Well, she was going to try not to. She was sure she'd backslide sometimes, but that didn't mean she couldn't make the effort. "Well, thank you. It's a really nice phone. Much nicer than the one that got smashed today."

"I'm glad you like it, Babe. I also dropped a new tracker in your purse."

"Oh, yeah," she blew out a sigh. "Sorry about the other one."

"No problem. I need you to hang onto this one though, Babe. The guys that tried to grab you today were real scum bags. I need you to stay safe."

"You can count on it," Steph told him. "No more ditching of the trackers."

"Good. Tomorrow night about 7?"

"I'll be there," Steph confirmed. "You didn't eat all the chocolate cake Ella made, did you?" she teased.

That made Ranger laugh. "I restrained myself. Plenty left for my Babe, though I'm pretty hungry right now. No telling what'll happen when I get upstairs."

"You're still in your office? It's going on eight o'clock."

"Yeah. Long day. They're all long these days. I swear, I think Tank and I going to both lose it if we don't get around to hiring an office manager. The problem is, neither of us have time to train one."

"I can help a little more until you hire someone, Ranger."

"That would be great, if you're sure you want to do that. I know being stuck in the office is not your favorite thing, Steph."

"Actually, being stuck doing the same job all day, like searches, is not my thing. I probably wouldn't last forty hours a week, but with a variety of things to do, I could put in more hours than I am now."

"That sounds wonderful, Babe. We can talk about it more tomorrow night."

"Okay, see you then, Batman."

Ranger chuckled. "Night, Babe."

**A/N - Once again, I'd like to say thank you for all the great reviews and positive encouragement. I'm a little behind on answering everyone, but will try to get caught up by tomorrow night. **


	7. Chapter 7

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 7**

Stephanie got to the bonds office about nine o'clock the next morning. Lula and Connie were already there, drinking coffee and chatting at Connie's desk.

"Girl, you sure got lucky yesterday," Lula said by way of greeting. Them murdering scurvy dogs that tried to grab you are scary! Well, one of them is scary and the other one is dead."

Stephanie set the box of donuts she was carrying on Connie's desk. "Murdering?" she asked Lula.

"Mmm hmm. You ain't heard yet?"

"No. Heard what?" Steph asked. Her stomach was starting to form a knot. This was not the type of news she wanted to start out the day with.

Connie handed the morning newspaper to Stephanie. "These guys were wanted for questioning in the murder of a dozen women, Steph," Connie told her.

"Not only that," Lula said, taking a jelly donut from the box. They done chopped off some of their heads."

"What?" Stephanie shrieked, scanning the news article. "Holy shit!"

"Thank god Yashi was there to help you," Connie said, shaking her head. That man is a damn hero."

Stephanie took the newspaper and walked over to sit on the couch. She read the gory details of the women who had been killed and her hands were shaking so badly by the time she got to the end, she could barely hold the paper steady.

Connie took a cup of coffee from the cardboard carrier that Lula had brought in and said, "Lula, here, hand this to Steph."

Lula crossed the room and Stephanie took the cup from her. She didn't really feel like talking about what happened at Shorty's or about the news article, so she pretended to be preoccupied with opening and removing the plastic tab from the lid of her coffee.

The front door opened and Yashi walked in. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and a rolled up newspaper in the other. "Morning, ladies," he greeted them with his usual smile.

Immediately, he could tell something was wrong. "Everything okay?" he asked looking from Connie to Lula to Stephanie.

"You read that there newspaper yet?" Lula asked, nodding to the one he was holding in his hand.

"No, I just bought it five minutes ago. Why?" He didn't wait for them to answer. He set his coffee cup on the counter by Connie's desk and unrolled the paper.

The girl's watched as his eyes took in the headlines and pictures on the front page. They remained quiet while he read for a couple minutes before his head snapped up and he looked at Stephanie. "Good God! Have you read this?"

Stephanie nodded her head. "Most of it." I had to skip over some of the gorier details."

Yashi ran his hand through his hair as he glanced back down at the paper and then back up at Stephanie. "I need to see you in my office."

He picked up his cup of coffee and walked to the back of the office. Stephanie put the strap of her purse over her shoulder, rose from the couch and gave Lula and Connie a questioning look.

They both shrugged their shoulders. None of them had heard him use that type of no-nonsense tone of voice before.

Stephanie followed him, clutching her cup of coffee, and waited as he tucked the newspaper under his arm so he had a free hand to unlock the door.

"Have a seat," he told her, closing the door once they were inside.

Once they were settled in their chairs, Yashi looked down at the newspaper in front of him and then looked up at Stephanie. "To say this is frightening is an understatement."

"It really is," Stephanie agreed. "I owe you my life," she said softly.

"You don't owe me anything, Steph. I assume you're aware of the album at the library that chronicles your history as a bounty hunter?"

"I've heard about it, but I've never seen it. I'm sure it's not very flattering."

"Flattering?" Yashi said with surprise. "Whether or not it's flattering seems inconsequential considering the actual content."

Stephanie shifted in her chair. Yashi seemed out of sorts this morning and she had a feeling that she was the cause. "I guess I don't look at it the way other people do. Most people in this town gossip and collect stories like they're nuggets of gold. They thrive on building mountains out of mole hills. I just take things one situation at a time and when it's over, I put it behind me and move on."

"Stephanie ... "

Yashi was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. "You need to take that?" he asked.

"No, but I'll shut it off," she said, reaching in her purse for her phone and hitting the red button to cancel the call and turn off the phone. "I'm sure my mother has read the paper and is calling to lecture me about my job and threaten to never make another pineapple upside down cake for me unless I quit." She dropped the phone back into her purse and turned her attention back to Yashi.

Yashi leaned forward and rested his arms on the newspaper in front of him. "I read the entire album last night, Steph. To say I was stunned and frightened for you doesn't begin to cover it."

He picked up the sheets of paper he'd prepared the night before. "You've had two vehicles blown up, two set on fire, a garbage truck fell on yet another. There was a funeral home fire, a house that caught on fire and a house that exploded. Ranger got shot while you were picking up a skip, you've been kidnapped three times. You've been shot twice, shot at another four times. You've been stabbed twice. You've had two minor concussions and two major concussions. Christ, Stephanie, do you know there are NFL players who have had to end their career after the third or fourth concussion? That's how serious they can be, not to mention explosions, bullets and knives."

Stephanie was speechless and didn't know where all this was going. Finally, to his question about the NFL players she just shook her head no.

"Now," Yashi continued, picking up the newspaper, "you came within seconds of being kidnapped by two of the lowest human beings on the face of the earth. There is no way they would have let you go alive if they'd been able to get you inside that van."

"I was lucky you were there," she admitted again, not sure what else to say.

Yashi took a deep breath and blew it out as he leaned back in his chair. "Aren't you ever worried that some day your _luck_ is going to run out?"

Stephanie shrugged. "Everyone's luck is going to run out some day, Yashi. I'm a bounty hunter, this is what I do."

"Why? Of all the jobs in the world, why this?"

Now it was Stephanie's turn to blow out a weary sigh. She hated being questioned like this. If it were anyone but Yashi, she'd probably tell them to mind their own business. But, it was Yashi. She knew he was only asking because he was concerned, plus, he was her boss. He probably had more of a right to ask than some other people.

"When I first started out, it was because I was out of work and needed the money. After a while, it kind of grew on me. I mean, it's not the funnest job in the world, but I hate being stuck behind a desk. With this, I can work my own hours, I have down time when there aren't any skips and many of them pay really well."

"And all the violence and injuries?" Yashi asked.

"I guess I've just gotten used to it."

"That sounds a lot like complacency, Steph, and complacency can get you killed."

"Why are you telling me all this Yashi? Is all this leading up to something?"

Yashi shuffled the papers in his hands. "Yes. I spent a lot of time thinking about this last night and that was before I knew the background of the guys from Shorty's. I know you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you, but it's not negotiable. Well, there are parts of it that can be negotiated, but the basic part is not negotiable."

Now Stephanie was really nervous. She wondered if he was going to fire her. She told herself to remain calm and not overreact to whatever it was. She was sometimes known for her knee-jerk reactions and reminded herself to not panic or say something she'd regret.

"Just tell me," she said, not being able to take the suspense.

"I'm suspending you for three months, with pay, pending some changes on your part."

Stephanie jumped up from her chair. "What! Three months! Suspension!"

"Stephanie, sit down." He didn't yell at her, but he did raise his voice enough to make sure he had her attention. "I know this is upsetting to you, but I want you to hear me out."

Stephanie stood motionless for a couple of moments and then dropped back down into her chair. "Why are you doing this?"

"When I read through the album last night at the library, I was shocked to see that not only are there articles that actually cover the events I mentioned earlier, there are fluff pieces and editorial pieces that feature you. The local writers are fascinated with you, but the things they write make your job even more dangerous.

"There are periodic pieces that talk about your lack of training, the fact that you're unarmed half the time and that more times than not, you work without adequate backup. Stephanie, it's all right there in black and white for any FTA or criminal to see what an easy mark you are."

Stephanie didn't have a reply to that so she remained quiet.

"You're known as the bounty hunter who is allergic to guns and exercise, so I wrote down some suggestions and options for you to explore. Don't feel bad about hating exercise, a lot of people do and I'm one of them. I used to run a lot, even ran in a few marathons and then one day I thought, why the hell am I doing this? I don't even like running. I only started it as a challenge. Anyway, now I only do exercises I like and you can do the same thing. "Do you like to swim?"

Stephanie nodded her head. "Yeah, but I don't get the chance very often."

"I have a pool. Do you like to ride bikes?"

She shrugged. "Mary Lou and I used to ride our bikes through the 'Burg all the time, but I haven't ridden in years."

"We can get you a bike," Yashi said.

"Do you like to dance?"

Stephanie frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Dancing is great exercise, Steph. I wouldn't be home during the day, but I could give you a key. I have a workout room and mats and audio equipment with surround sound. You could crank up the music and dance your head off. The neighbors will never hear the music like they would in your apartment. The wall where the treadmill, elliptical and stationary bike are set up is all mirrors. You can watch yourself dance and watch your progress if you'd like.

"I'd also like you to do some kind of self-defense training. Like I mentioned yesterday morning, I'd be happy to give you free karate lessons. If that doesn't appeal to you, there are places in town to learn kickboxing and other forms of martial arts and self-defense.

"Here's one scenario," he continued, "you can show up at my house at 8 am three times a week for karate. Then, when I leave at 9 am to come here, you'll have the house to yourself. You can use the workout room to either work out or dance or both. My neighborhood is very safe. You could keep your bike in my garage and ride it around the neighborhood. You can also use the pool as often as you like. Swimming is great exercise. It'll strengthen both your arm and leg muscles.

"Another scenario is that you can leave me totally out of the picture and arrange whatever workouts and exercises you want to do on your own. You're not obligated to accept any help from me, but I offer it gladly if you want to accept it.

"The third scenario is, you decide you don't want to exercise or train in self-defense and would rather not work here any more.

"In addition to the above, you need to practice with your gun regularly, if you're not already, and carry it with you at all times."

Stephanie was silent for a few minutes then said. "You've been talking with Ranger, haven't you? Did he put you up to this?"

Yashi shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. "No. This has nothing to do with Ranger. I only spoke with him for a minute last night to make an appointment to discuss the high bond skips. Why? Are these things he's already discussed with you?"

"Yes, all the time. He's always trying to get me to work out and run and practice with my gun."

Yashi frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "And you haven't listened to him because?"

"Because I don't like working out and I'm not getting up at five AM to run with him."

"Stephanie, if you won the lotto and hired a successful financial expert to advise you on what you should do with your money, would you ignore their expert advice?"

"No, I wouldn't think so."

"But, Ranger, an experienced security expert, has been advising you about your safety for years and you just ignore it, like it's not important." He paused for another minute. She didn't answer, but he could see she was thinking about it. "Are you willing to get up at seven-thirty to be at my house by eight for karate? Then dance and swim and/or ride your bike?"

Yashi sipped his coffee while he waited for an answer, but still she didn't reply.

"Stephanie look. This morning I deposited $12,000 into your bank account. If you take me up on this offer, I'll actually be paying you to take a vacation of sorts. No skips to chase down for three months and you spend a couple hours a day bike riding, swimming and dancing along with free karate lessons. How could you turn that down?"

"How did you get my bank account number and what if I turn down your offer?"

"Your bank account number is in your employee file. Lula's and Connie's are in their files too. It appears that Vinnie was going to implement direct deposit at one point and had all of you fill out the forms, but he never followed through. If you decide to turn down my offer, you can consider the money severance pay for the years you've worked here."

"But I've only worked one day for you. That's not right."

"The money will come out of the business and you've been a part of the business for three and a half years. Listen, you don't have to answer me right this moment. Go home, think about it, discuss it with a friend or whatever. You can call me later if you decide to arrange for your own training and defense or if you decide to quit. Or, you can just show up at my house tomorrow morning at eight. You remember how to get there?"

Stephanie nodded.

"Good." Yashi stood up so Stephanie stood too. He came around the desk and put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick one arm hug. "Whatever you decide to do is okay with me Stephanie. I'm not going to be upset if you decide to get out of this business. But if you do decide to leave, you'd better not be a stranger. Now get out of here," he said with a dimpled smile. You have some thinking to do."

Stephanie nodded and turned to open the door.

"Steph?"

"Yeah?" she asked turning back around.

"You might need this," he said holding out her purse. "I'm sure your mother isn't going to give up after one try."

"You have no idea," Stephanie replied.

"Would you like to hang out for a bit and chat with Lula and Connie?"

Stephanie declined by shaking her head. That was the last thing she needed right now. She may have appeared okay on the outside, but inside she was shaking like a leaf. She just wasn't sure whether she wanted to break down and sob or fly into a fit of rage.

"How about if I run interference for you by walking you to the front door?"

When she nodded her head, Yashi reached around her and opened the door, then walked her to the front door and opened it for her. Neither of them looked at Connie or Lula as they passed them, but both could feel their curious stares.

Yashi stood at the front door until Stephanie got in her car and pulled away, then made his way back to the office as two pairs of curious eyes followed his movement. He had no idea how they were going to take the news, but hopefully, like he, they wanted Stephanie to be more prepared for the job so she'd be safe. Safer.

He seated himself at his desk and picked up his phone, punching in Ranger's cell phone number.

"Yo," came the voice on the other end.

"Hey, Ranger. Yashi, here. Couple of questions for you. I know we said three o'clock today, but would it be a problem if we changed it to three-thirty?"

"Three-thirty is fine," Ranger said then paused waiting for the next question. He was in his turbo on his way to an appointment.

"Great, thanks. Uh, the other thing is, well, I know Stephanie just works for you part time and all, but do you happen to know if she's seriously interested in anyone?"

The turbo's tires squealed as he pulled off to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks. What the fuck? He knew this little pissant was interested in his Babe. He thought for a few seconds about how he should answer. Finally, he said, "I'm quite certain she is," as he disconnected.

Yashi hung up his phone and chuckled softly at Ranger's reaction. "You're welcome, Steph," he said to the empty room.


	8. Chapter 8

**There Ain't No Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 8**

Stephanie drove to the convenience store near her apartment with very shaky hands on the wheel. She was very adept at pushing things to the back of her mind, but the thought of being suspended from her job was proving to be a difficult thought to compartmentalize. She was traumatized. Her pride was hurt. She trusted Yashi with intimate details of her life and now he'd done this. How could he!

She held herself together long enough to run into the store and buy $33.00 dollars worth of Tasty Cakes, candy bars and ice cream.

When she let herself into her apartment, she put the ice cream in the freezer, then tore open a Tasty Cake and devoured it before she even said hello to Rex.

Ripping open a Snickers bar, she leaned against the counter in front of Rex's cage but found it difficult to make her voice work. "We'll talk later," she choked out, her throat constricting from the effort of holding back her tears.

Once she polished off the candy bar, she filled the sink with hot water and a lemon scented all-purpose cleaner and spent the next hour cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom and end to end. She even threw away everything unusable from the refrigerator and washed and cleaned the drawers and racks including the hardly ever used vegetable drawer.

Next, she started on the living room, not only cleaning, but throwing away anything and everything she was pretty sure she would no longer miss. This included a scratched up end table and a wooden magazine rack that had a crack in the wood. She stuck it out in the hallway still holding the magazines, adding it to the growing pile of bags and junk outside her door.

Between the kitchen and living room, she already had three full garbage bags. She knew she'd have a lot more by the time she was done for the day so she went downstairs to talk to Dillon, the building supervisor.

"Hey, Steph," he greeted her when he opened his door. "I didn't hear an explosion or sirens, is everything okay?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. If she didn't need a favor from him right now, she'd punch his lights out. Apparently, he had the same opinion everyone else had of her. She was not useful for anything besides causing mayhem.

"I'm doing some heavy cleaning and I'll need someone to haul some stuff away and take a bunch of heavy bags to the dumpster. I can pay you. I'm sure it's worth more than a six-pack of beer."

They negotiated a price and Steph asked him to come by around 5:00 pm. "I need to go to an ATM machine and still have a lot of cleaning to do, so I won't have the cash before that," she told him.

Back in her apartment, she unplugged her answering machine because it showed 14 new messages and the blinking light was grating on her last nerve. She figured all of the calls would be about the incident at Shorty's and she had no doubt most of them were from her mother.

She tackled the dining area next then moved on to the bathroom.

She'd been cleaning for close to three hours and wanted to quit, but couldn't. So far, scrubbing and vacuuming and rearranging was allowing her to hold herself together and not think about _you-know-what_, as she was now calling the conversation with Yashi and the suspension.

The bedroom was going to be the biggest job so she figured she might as well just jump right in when the bathroom was finished.

She started with her closet and threw away every stained article of clothing she came across. She didn't know exactly what kind of changes she was going to make in her life, but she did know that there would be no more going out in public with stained t-shirts or grubby looking clothing. She probably wouldn't need any of that stuff anyway. Probably, her bounty hunting days were over.

Next, she made a pile of things to go to the Salvation Army and threw in everything that didn't fit or was out of style. She did the same thing with her dresser drawers that she did with the closet.

She threw away a worn out set of sheets, a flattened pillow she no longer used, three worn out pairs of sneakers and everything else she either didn't want to look at, didn't need or was just plain worn out. She got rid of every cobweb and dust bunny, cleaned the mirror over the dresser and changed the sheets on the bed.

Finally, she was done. It was 3:00 pm and she'd been cleaning for five straight hours. She was exhausted and her muscles ached and she was worried that her mind would now believe it was time to think. Screw that, she'd take a hot shower and sleep until she had to go to the ATM machine to get Dillon's money.

After stepping from the shower, she dried herself off and ran a small amount of gel through her hair with her fingers, then slipped on a pair of light blue terry cloth shorts and a clean white tank top. She crawled into bed, immediately settling on her stomach so her brain wouldn't think she was in her thinking position and quickly fell asleep.

XXX

After a long day of meetings and lunch with a client, Ranger pulled into the RangeMan garage shortly after 3:00 pm. He had just enough time to change before heading to the bonds office for his meeting with Yashi.

He was tempted to show up in the thousand dollar Brooks Brothers Madison style suit he was wearing in order to show Yashi he could look like a CEO too, but then decided that was rather immature. He figured in this case, intimidating was better than fashionable anyway.

He went straight to his apartment on the seventh floor and then straight to his bedroom. He stripped, then put on the cargo pants he'd worn the day before along with a clean t-shirt and socks. After lacing up his boots and strapping on his weapons, it was time to leave.

XXX

When Ranger walked into the bonds office, he found Yashi chatting with Connie at her desk. They appeared to be discussing carpet samples and paint colors. He greeted Ranger with a smile and said, "I don't believe, even with all that's gone on, that we've actually been introduced. "My name is Yasahiro Nakamura, but I'd much prefer it if you'd continue to call me Yashi."

"Carlos Manoso. Call me Ranger."

As much as he didn't want to, Ranger shook Yashi's hand when he offered it. After all, if they were going to do business together, Ranger would make an effort to be cordial. Perhaps.

Once they were seated in Yashi's office, working out the details on the high bond skips took less than three minutes. They would keep the same arrangement RangeMan had with Vinnie.

Once that was decided, Yashi leaned back in his chair and asked, "Have you spoken with Stephanie today?"

Ranger wanted to tell him it was none of his business, but something told him Yashi had a specific reason in mind for asking and if he didn't play along he may not find out what it was.

"No. I've been tied up with meetings. Why?"

Yashi frowned. He knew Stephanie was upset when she left. He had hoped she would call Ranger for support or a shoulder to cry on or for encouragement. "Are you sure you didn't miss a text or voice mail from her?"

"I'm sure," Ranger barked out. Why do you ask?" He was really getting irritated now. He knew he hadn't missed a call or text or voice mail from her because he'd checked at least ten times.

Yashi blew out a sigh and hoped he would still have his teeth after this. "I suspended her today for three months ... "

Ranger started to rise up from his chair. "You what?"

"With pay," Yashi hurried to add. "The job is still hers if she gets some self-defense and gun training and regular exercise to build up the strength in her arms and legs.

Ranger was stock-still, halfway out of his chair, and he stayed like that for several seconds, his eyes fixed on Yashi's. Finally, he settled back in his chair. "I'm guessing she didn't take it very well," Ranger said, trying to stop the corner of his mouth from tilting up. It was more of a statement than a question.

"It's hard to say since I don't know her very well and she barely replied to anything I said. I'm pretty good at reading people though and my best guess is that she was furious even though she was trying to hide it."

"I can imagine," Ranger replied, running a hand over his face. What she was probably trying to do was not cry in front of Yashi. She hated crying in front of people.

"She said you've spoken to her about the same issues in the past."

"Yes. She worries the hell out of me on a daily basis," Ranger confessed, not sure why he was confiding this to Yashi. Maybe he wanted him to know that she wasn't untrained due to lack of caring on his part.

"At RangeMan, we have certain specific requirements for training, fitness and gun usage, but Stephanie only works there when she's desperate for money and takes every opportunity and makes every excuse to avoid training.

"She has great instincts and great potential. Her capture rate is phenomenal, but she takes chances that even I wouldn't take. At least not unarmed.

"There are times I've wanted to cut off her employment at RangeMan because of it, but I can't do that. If I did, she'd have no medical coverage and wouldn't be able to pay her bills at times."

Yashi nodded that he understood. He was glad to know that her lack of training was not because Ranger didn't care. "I gave her some options to choose from, but I'll let her explain all that to you when you see her. She's a beautiful woman. Hopefully someone will come along soon and sweep her off her feet and offer her a better lifestyle so she's not struggling all the time. Her independence, though admirable in the right circumstances, seems to be her biggest enemy."

Ranger's blank face slammed into place. He rose fully from his chair this time and walked to the door. "Don't worry about Stephanie. I'll make sure she's taken care of," he said, closing the door his way out.

"'Bout time," Yashi said with a dimpled smile. He decided his work on that subject was done. He didn't want to take the chance of pushing too much. He barely knew either of them. They just seemed right together and he was happy to give them both a little nudge in the right direction.

Now he needed to get back with Connie and finalize the paint and carpet colors for the office. Except for the incident at Shorty's, it seemed like this life was going to be a lot more relaxed than Wall Street, bonds, equities and venture capital.

He was pretty sure he was going to like living in Trenton. It was a nice break from the rat race they call New York. Maybe he'd find time to play golf now that he was done matchmaking.

XXX

Ranger walked past Connie without a word or a glance. He left through the front door, got in the turbo and headed straight to Stephanie's apartment.

His poor Babe. He was thrilled that Yashi laid down the law to her. As her full time employer, Yashi had that right and he exercised it, but he knew it was a tough pill for her to swallow. Still, it needed to be done and was long overdue. Hopefully, after the incident at Shorty's, she would come to the same conclusion.

He took the stairs to the second floor and came to a dead stop when he saw the many plastic bags and furniture odds and ends in the hallway outside her door. His heart stopped momentarily at the thought that she may have spent the day packing up and moving.

He quickly picked the lock and slipped inside. Holy shit. It was worse than he thought. The place was immaculate and smelled squeaky clean with a hint of lemon. He knew then she'd spent the entire day in denial and used the vigorous cleaning routine so she wouldn't have time to think about what happened.

He took a quick look in the kitchen and it was spotless too. He walked over out of curiosity and peeked inside a bag on the counter next to Rex's cage. He shook his head. Tasty Cakes and candy bars, her number one line of defense. Put yourself into a sugar coma and you don't have to think about yuckie things like exercise or self defense or someone laying down the law.

He felt badly that she'd had a rough day, but she needed to learn that the same rules that applied to everyone else applied to her. If you want a certain type of job, you have to train for it. You can't just walk into a classroom and start teaching math if you know very little about math. She'd gotten away with it for so long though, she was probably sure this action was completely unfair and unjustified.

He made his way to her bedroom and stood in the doorway for a moment. She'd also cleaned her room. Damn, she'd been busy. The sliding doors to the closet were open and it looked liked she'd weeded out half her clothing.

His mind jerked back to Yashi saying that he hoped someone would come along and give her a better lifestyle. He gazed at her sleeping form on the bed. He wanted to be the one to improve her lifestyle. He wanted to give her everything she ever wanted or could possibly want in the future.

He knew what she wanted the most was someone that believed in her and she already had that with him. The problem was, she needed to believe in herself. She needed to belive she could do the training and pass with flying colors and take control of her life. As long as she never tried, she'd never feel that sense of accomplishment.

He took off his utility belt and quietly draped it over the back of the corner chair, then toed off his boots and crawled in bed behind her. She stirred a bit as he slid his arms around her and pulled her back against his front. She must have switched shampoos recently. The other day, her hair smelled like strawberries and now it smelled like mangoes.

"Ranger?" she said softly.

"Hey, Babe," he whispered against her hair as he gave her a light squeeze. "You okay?"

She shook her head 'no' and turned to bury her face against his chest. "Yashi fired me," she said on a sob.

Ranger was glad she couldn't see him smile. "Really? Fired?"

"He called it a suspension," she admitted, her voice so low he could barely hear her.

"Suspended with pay is the way I understood it," Ranger said. "I just talked to him a few minutes ago at the bonds office."

She let out a noise that sounded a bit like harumph. "You're on his side, aren't you?" she accused.

Ranger raised his head a bit and brushed back some of her hair from her cheek, then placed a soft kiss on her temple. "We're both on your side, Steph. Is it so hard to believe that we want you to be well trained because neither of us want anything bad to happen to you?"

He felt her shrug, but she didn't reply. He gently pushed her over on her back and pushed himself up so that leaning over her. He remained still until she finally looked at his face. "Babe, do you have any idea how much you mean to me?" he asked softly.

A look of surprise crossed her face, but she held his gaze. "I ... maybe, I don't know. I'm not sure."

He leaned down and kissed her and as the kiss deepened, she pulled him closer and he shifted so that one of his knees was between her legs. The kiss became more urgent as their tongues met and circled and explored. When they finally broke away to breathe, Ranger said, "You're still coming to dinner tonight, aren't you?"

"Oh!" she said, glancing at the clock. "Yes, but that reminds me, I need you to let me up." She pushed against his chest.

"Where's the fire, Babe?"

_Now there's a loaded question_, she thought. "I need to get to an ATM machine. Dillion is coming by to haul away all that stuff I'm sure you saw in the hallway. I need to go get some cash to pay him."

"Babe, I've got cash on me. There's no need to run out just for that."

"You have to let me pay you back."

"No need, Babe. Consider it me helping to renovate your apartment. It looks nice by the way."

"No, Ranger. If you won't let me pay you back, then no deal."

He leaned down to nuzzle her neck. "You're so contrary," he told her between the small kisses he was brushing against her skin. "You can pay me back if you insist, but it isn't necessary. There's a hundred dollar bill in the top right pocket of my cargo pants that I won off Tank. If you can find it, you can have it," he told her, returning his attention to her neck and then her throat.

Stephanie giggled. "You want me to reach in your pants pocket? What are you, a dirty old man?"

Ranger chuckled against her skin. "No, I'm a dirty relatively young man practicing to be a dirty old man."

Stephanie slid her left hand into his right pocket and pulled out the bill. Oh wait, it wasn't a bill. It was a note and her breath caught in her chest when she saw it. It said:

_Babe,_  
_Thought you could use this. You still have your same phone number. Looking forward to dinner tomorrow night. Love, R._

Ranger's lips moved from her neck to her chin and then paused above her lips. He looked at her with a smile. "Find it?" he asked.

She looked directly into his eyes. "Not exactly, Ranger. Do you keep pre-written notes in case I damage my phones?"

He frowned. "What?" Suddenly, he remembered the note he'd stuck in his pocket the night before. The one he'd replaced on her kitchen counter.

He quickly rolled off her so that he was on his back and looked at the note in her hand. He turned his head to look at her and their eyes locked.

Stephanie licked her dry lips. "Ranger? You wrote this note and took it back because you didn't mean it or because you didn't want me to know how you feel?"

**A/N - Sorry to post so late. It's been one of those days. I didn't proofread this chapter as closely as the previous chapters. Hope I didn't botch anything too badly. **


	9. Chapter 9

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_Stephanie licked her dry lips. "Ranger? You wrote this note and took it back because you didn't mean it or because you didn't want me to know how you feel?"_

**Chapter 9**

Time stood still as Stephanie's crystal blue eyes remained locked on Ranger's startled brown eyes, but not for long, as a knock at the door shattered the silence. Dillon.

Stephanie blew out a sigh as she climbed from the bed. When she got to the bedroom doorway, she turned around and waved the note in the air. "We can finish this conversation at dinner," she said with a faint smile.

Ranger rose from the bed and reached into his pocket pulling out the hundred dollar bill. "Babe, don't forget this."

"Thanks," she said, plucking the bill from his fingers. "I _will_ pay you back later tonight. No arguments," she said as she headed for the front door.

"Whatever you say, Babe." He slid on his boots, then grabbed his gun belt from the chair and followed her to the door.

He waited until she paid Dillon, collected her change, said goodbye to him and closed the door. Turning to Ranger she said, "Unless you'd like to finish it now."

Ranger leaned down and cupped her face in his hands. "No, dinner will be a good time. Or after dinner, or after dessert," he said, sounding uncertain.

Stephanie snorted. The man of mystery who was always in control was feeling a little caught off guard and was experiencing a slow recovery time. "Or after Christ's Second Coming or after NASA sends a man to walk on Mars or after hell freezes over," she teased.

"Funny," he said, with a chuckle, brushing his lips against hers. "See you around six thirty, Babe?"

Well, at least he hadn't completely lost his sense of humor. "I'll be there," she promised, giving him a light kiss in return.

XXX

She reached the seventh floor at 6:26 pm and as she was deciding whether she should knock or let herself in, the door swung open and Ranger greeted her with a warm smile. "Steph, you look great. Come in."

She looked down at herself as she followed him in and placed her purse on the sideboard. "It's just a denim skirt and sleeveless summer sweater," she told him. The skirt stopped about three inches above her knees and the sweater was blue and matched her eyes.

"Babe, any time I can see that much of your legs, it's a bonus." He planted a kiss on her forehead and took her hand, gently pulling her to the dining room table.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" he asked as he held her chair for her.

"Sure, or whatever you're having."

"Wine it is," he replied, pouring out two glasses.

"The table looks beautiful."

Ranger smiled as he settled himself on his chair. "I'd like to take credit for that, but it's Ella's work."

There were fresh flowers and candles and Ella had set the table with the good china and silverware. The wine glasses were crystal with etched roses and everything looked perfect.

Stephanie had to wonder if there was some kind of special occasion Ella knew about that she didn't.

Ranger lifted the silver lids covering their food and Stephanie moaned before even taking a bite. The aroma of the beef tips in a burgundy wine sauce, the buttered pasta with parsley and the smell of freshly baked sourdough yeast rolls was intoxicating.

They ate in silence for a few minutes appreciating the wonderful food, but finally Ranger broke the silence. "Yashi said he gave you a few different options today, Babe. What are they?"

Stephanie shrugged. "Basically, he said I need to shape up or ship out. I can train with whomever I want as long as I take some kind of self-defense training. I have to get some cardio exercise, I have to build up my leg and arm muscles and practice regularly with my gun."

Ranger nodded. "So pretty much the same things we require at RangeMan," he said.

"Sort of, but he said I could do swimming and dancing as two of my exercises. He has a pool I can use whenever I want and he said I can ride my bike around his neighborhood. Oh, and he said he'd give me free karate lessons."

_Christ, the pissant wants to totally dominate her time_, Ranger thought. "Babe, that sounds like a strange arrangement. Aren't you worried he's just trying to get you over to his house to spend more time with you?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No. Is that what _you're_ worried about?" She put her head down and stabbed a bite of beef hoping Ranger didn't see the smile that was playing on her lips.

"Babe, if you're going to be putting in more hours at RangeMan anyway, it seems like it would be more convenient just to do your training there too."

Stephanie tilted her head pretending to think it over. "Maybe. Or maybe it would be nice to train somewhere away from work and relax in the pool for awhile before having to actually go into work."

"I'm a great dancer, Babe."

"Really? Pity you never take me dancing. Sounds fun."

Ranger sighed and it sounded so un-Ranger-like. "I think he's interested in you Stephanie."

"Nah. He's just a nice guy and he's trying to help me out."

"No, I'm pretty sure he likes you. A lot."

Stephanie frowned. "Is the chocolate cake in the kitchen?" she asked, changing the subject. "Never mind, I'll check," she said, rising from her chair. "Would you like a piece?"

"No thanks."

Stephanie came back with a plate holding a large piece of Ella's special dark chocolate cake. It smelled heavenly and tasted just as good.

Ranger cleared his throat. "So, you're not concerned that he may be interested in you?"

_Damn,_ Stephanie thought. _One track mind tonight or what_? She let out a short giggle. "I should be so lucky."

Judging by the look on Ranger's face, he should be begging to switch to the subject of the note any minute now.

"Babe, about the note."

"Umm, that's right. We were going to talk about that, weren't we? Do you think I should swim before going to work to cool off after my exercise or swim after work so I'm spreading my exercise out throughout the day?"

Ranger opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His mind was scrambling to get a handle on just what the hell was going on with her. From the looks of her apartment, she'd been stressed to the max today, but now she was relaxed and chatting about exercise as though it appealed to her. Fucking Yashi!

He put his fork down and said, "Babe. I thought you wanted to talk about the note?"

Steph let out an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I did, at first. But, on my way over here I was thinking about it and realized that we've had this conversation before, Ranger. More than once. You love me in your own way, but your life is dangerous and you don't want a relationship with me."

"Steph, that's not quite true. It's not that I don't want a relationship with you, but I understand what you're saying." He picked up his wine glass. "Every time we discuss this, it ends up the same way. I'm not ready for a relationship and you don't do casual sex."

"Actually, that's not true any more. I do do casual sex now."

Ranger choked on his wine and grabbed his napkin to wipe off his chin. "Jesus, Steph! You just met him!"

Stephanie leaned back in her chair, her surprise at his outburst written across her face. "Just met who? Oh, wait! Do you mean Yashi? Christ, Ranger. I'm not sleeping with Yashi, I just met him!"

Ranger covered his face with his hands. "You mean there's someone else that I don't even know about?" he asked through his hands. "Who is it?"

"No! Good grief, I haven't slept with anyone since I broke up with Joe."

Ranger relaxed a bit and removed his hands from his face. He was so confused he didn't know what to think. His Babe was more complicated than a military mission.

"I just meant that I think I was looking at the casual sex thing all wrong. I don't want marriage and I don't want children, so where does that really leave me?"

Ranger was watching her face as she spoke, trying to keep up with whatever the hell was going on.

"I'm not saying that I'm going to start sleeping around, Ranger. I'm just saying that a no strings attached relationship is actually exactly what I'm looking for. Of course, there would be one stipulation to the casual sex thing."

"What would that be, Babe?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Well, it would have to be monogamous. Casual is fine, no strings attached is fine. Multiple partners is not fine. I didn't put up with it from Dickie and I didn't put up with it from Joe."

Ranger's eyes locked on hers as he sorted through what she said. "Are you sure about this, Babe?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I told you, I've thought about it from all angles and I've decided it's my best option, why? Are you thinking I'll have a problem finding a guy who will agree to it?"

Ranger's eyes softened as he reached across the table and took her hand. "Babe. A relationship I can't give you at this time. Monogamous I can give you."

A look of surprise flashed across her face. "Are you sure, Ranger? I wouldn't put up with any bed hopping."

"Steph, I haven't bed hopped in forever. There isn't another woman I would want in my bed. Only you, Babe."

Stephanie rose from her chair and walked around the table, crouching down next to Ranger. He looked surprised and wondered what she was doing. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, "Ranger, are you sure this is what you want? I want you to be sure."

"Ranger gave her one of his dazzling smiles. "Babe, I think I'm supposed to be asking you that."

"I'm sure," she told him softly. "I'm very, very sure."

Ranger let out a low growl. He rose from his chair and bent to scoop her up in his arms.

In less than a minute, they were naked and in his bed. Years of pent up passion coursed through them begging to be satisfied. The made love over and over again until they were too exhausted to move.

Ranger pulled her against him so that they were spooning and reached down to pull the covers up over them. He relaxed against her and buried his face in her curls. "I love you, Steph," he told her softly. "More than I can possibly tell you."

"I love you too, Ranger," she said, wiggling against him.

He gave her another low growl as her ass moved against his dick, causing it to spring up again. Lord, he may never sleep again with her in his bed. He tried to ignore it and closed his eyes.

Just as he was about to drift off, he felt her move away from him and sit up on her side of the bed. He relaxed again and closed his eyes, figuring she needed to use the bathroom.

His eyes flew open when he realized she was pulling on her clothes. "Babe, what are you doing?"

"Go to sleep, Batman. I need to get home."

He sat up instantly. What the fuck? "Babe, why do you need to get home? It's one o'clock in the morning."

"I know," she said, sliding her feet into her sandals and standing up from the bed. "I don't have the right clothes here and I have an early appointment in the morning," she explained.

Ranger scrambled out of bed and stood before her naked, his hands on his hips. "Stephanie, that is a guy's line."

She looked at him with surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Sneaking out of bed after sex and going home because you have an _early appointment _is what guys say when they don't want to be there in the morning."

Steph bit her lips to keep from laughing because for some reason he was dead serious and it struck her as hysterically funny. "Ranger, please. I really do have an early appointment."

"If this was a one night stand thing, then you're taking this casual sex stuff too far," he ground out. He started to pull on his cargoes. "I'll drive you."

"Ranger, you're not a one night stand. How could you think that and why are you panicking? And driving me won't work. I'll need my car in the morning."

He grabbed his shirt and yanked it over his head, then stuck his feet in his boots without bothering with socks. He wasn't about to admit to her that he was panicking because of Yashi and because he was suddenly terrified of his Babe's new rules. If she thought he was ever going to let her go again, she was wrong. "Babe, you shouldn't be out driving around at 1:00 am. I'll follow you."

Stephanie sighed. "It's not really necessary, but if you insist," she said, giving in.

He followed her to her apartment and took the elevator up to the second floor with her. Stephanie handed him her key and stepped to the side because she knew the routine by heart. He would go in and make sure her apartment was safe before heading out.

It only took a couple of minutes before he came back to the door and waved her in.

"No bad guys?" she asked, dropping her purse on the floor.

Ranger pushed the door shut and pulled her against him. "No bad guys," he told her, bending to nuzzle her neck.

"Thanks," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I appreciate you following me home."

"Mmm," he replied, stringing a line of kisses down the side of her neck.

"Ranger, that feels wonderful, but we both really need to get some sleep. It's late." She pushed gently against his chest.

"Don't make me leave," he whispered near her ear. "Let me stay, Babe. I can't get enough of you."

"If you're sure that's what you want, Ranger," she said with a smile. _I'll be darned_, she thought to herself. _Perhaps Yashi was right about __all this. _"You can stay whenever you want to, Ranger."

He pulled her to her room and they undressed each other and snuggled up in her bed. "What kind of appointment do you have, Steph?"

"Hmm?" It was hard to think when his tongue was flicking across her nipples. "Oh, 8:00 am karate lesson with Yashi."

Ranger felt his body stiffen almost as much as his dick. Fucking Yashi again! It wasn't that he didn't trust Stephanie. He did. Now that they were together, he knew she wouldn't cheat on him. But he didn't trust the pissant not to try to romance her away from him. He was going to make sure Stephanie was so happy she'd never be interested in that damn bondsman.

**A/N - Sheesh, it's after midnight and I just finished this chapter. Sorry, it's a little shorter than the others, but I wanted to get it posted before bed and thought this was a good place to stop – with Ranger in a tizzy. LMAO. Sorry for any typos, no time to proofread tonight.**


	10. Chapter 10

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 10**

The next morning, Ranger's watch alarm went off at 5:00 am. He shut if off quickly so it wouldn't disturb his Babe and carefully rolled out of bed.

He had a bit of a dilemma on his hands. If he woke Stephanie up this early, she would no doubt be unhappy. If she woke up and he was gone, she might think it was a repeat of the time he'd spent the night with her years ago. He knew he'd treated her badly back then, telling her to go back to Joe, and didn't want her to be reminded of that time.

He wondered if a note would suffice. He tossed the problem around in his head while he used the bathroom and washed his hands and face. Finally, he decided if the note was reassuring enough, she probably wouldn't be upset.

After he dressed, he tore a sheet of paper off the note pad by her phone and noticed that her answering machine and phone were both unplugged. He chuckled to himself. That was Stephanie for you. If the button wasn't blinking then you could pretend no one was trying to get in touch with you.

He sat down to write the note. _Steph, went running and didn't want to wake you. Will be back before you have to leave. Love you, R._

This time, there would be no taking back of the note. He'd learned that lesson well enough the day before. And, besides, there was no reason to hold back now. He loved her and they both knew it and he had told her last night, more than once.

He smiled to himself when he thought back to the night before and how good it felt to be intimate with her again. Just knowing her made him happy and having her as his best friend was something he'd never trade, but making love with her was something he'd missed desperately and now he no longer had to rely on his past memory of their one night together.

He was going to do everything in his power to keep her safe, happy and satisfied so she'd never be tempted by Yashi or anyone else.

It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know what kind of things she liked to do. She didn't have any hobbies that he could recall and he didn't think Joe ever took her out on dates. He knew she liked hockey and decided that when winter came he'd make sure to take her to a couple Rangers games.

On his way to his car he wondered what else he could do to make her happy. Maybe a weekend getaway. Yeah, that would be nice for both of them. And dancing once in a while. She said that would be fun.

He unlocked his car and grabbed his spare pair of running shoes and switched his boots for the shoes. He took off at a slow pace and was perplexed when he couldn't think of any other things that would make her happy.

He was pretty much a novice when it came to doing things with women that didn't involve sex or ... well, sex. Maybe he'd have to do a Google search when he got back to his office.

By the time he got back to her parking lot it was almost six-thirty and he still hadn't come up with anything else. Of course it had been hard to keep his mind on the subject because every two or three minutes his brain flashed him images of a naked Stephanie. When he'd finally get rid of the images, he'd have to start all over again and before he could come up with an idea, more naked images would pop into his head. Stephanie naked in bed. Stephanie naked in the shower, Stephanie naked in the kitchen. Stephanie naked on his lap. Stephanie naked, beneath him, crying out his name. Damn, even the reruns in his head were excellent.

He retrieved his duffel bag from his car and let himself back into her apartment. When he looked in on her, she was still sleeping peacefully.

He went to the kitchen and greeted Rex, then started a pot of coffee to let it brew while he was in the shower. When he came out of the bathroom, he heard her chatting with Rex in the kitchen.

Ranger dropped his duffel bag on the couch and went to join her. She was wearing a little white stretchy tank top and a pair of blue panties and that was all. Her brown curly hair was out of control, her mile-long legs were luscious beyond belief, her toenails were painted pink, and when she looked up from Rex's cage and smiled at him, he was so turned on he could hardly breathe.

"Morning, Babe." He pulled her to him and kissed her as though he hadn't seen her in months.

"Mmm," she murmured against his lips when the kiss ended. "Now that's what I call a good morning kiss."

He flashed her a mega-watt smile. "You taste like Colgate, Babe."

"Can't get anything past you," she teased him, before pulling away. "Want a cup of coffee?"

"Just half a cup," he told her. "I need to head to the office." He wanted to ask her to come to RangeMan today for some training, but he didn't want to sound whiny or let her think he was jealous of Yashi. "How'd you brush your teeth when I was in the bathroom?"

She grinned at him as she handed him his coffee. "Guess you weren't very aware of your surrounds. I slipped into the bathroom, peeked at your gorgeous naked body through the edge of the shower curtain and then brushed my teeth, all without you knowing."

Ranger blinked. "You're kidding?" How could he have not known she was there?

"Yes," she said with a delighted laugh. "I'm just messing with you. I have an extra toothbrush and toothpaste in my room and brought them with me to the kitchen."

Ranger looked relieved. No need for her to know what he'd been doing in the shower after viewing naked images of her all morning. He leaned down and kissed her. "You're a real tease, this morning. I like it. Wish I didn't have to leave."

"Maybe we can have lunch together today," she suggested.

"I wish. You know the new mall that's opening off the expressway?"

Stephanie nodded. Yes, it's supposed to open soon."

"Right, and RangeMan is going to provide the security. I'm meeting the property manager and a member of the board for lunch today to iron out the final agreement and get their name on the dotted line."

"Oh well, that's okay," she shrugged.

Ranger thought that she didn't seem all that disappointed and wondered what she'd be doing at lunch time. "How about dinner again tonight?" he suggested.

"Sounds good. I barely made a dent in that chocolate cake last night."

Ranger shook his head. His mind was on getting her back into his bed and her mind was on Ella's chocolate cake. Oh well. Shortly after dinner, he'd make sure they were on the same page ... and the same set of sheets.

He set his coffee cup in the sink, took her cup from her hand and set it on the counter, then pulled her close for another kiss. "See you tonight, Babe. Be good today."

Stephanie walked him to the door after he grabbed his duffel bag from the couch. "Good luck with your mall deal," she said, giving him a swat on his ass as he walked out the door.

XXX

Ranger pulled into the underground garage and parked the turbo in its regular spot, then made his way to the seventh floor and changed into clean clothes.

Sitting at his desk in his apartment office, he dialed Tank's number on his cell.

"Yo," Tank answered in his booming voice.

"Yo," Ranger replied. "I'm upstairs. Except for the morning meeting, I'll probably be up here until I have to leave for my lunch appointment at one."

Tank chuckled. "You should check your messages once in a while. Your lunch appointment has been changed to tomorrow."

"Why?" Ranger demanded. He didn't want anything messing up this mall deal. The owners had several other shopping center properties in the surrounding area and Ranger had his eye on all of them.

"There doesn't seem to be a problem, if that's what you're worried about," Tank told him. "Mr. Wilberson's secretary called and said he had a scheduling conflict and wondered if tomorrow was okay. I checked your calendar and penciled him in. You should visit your real office once in a while."

"Why the attitude, Tank?"

"I don't have an attitude, Ranger. I was just joking with you. I thought you'd be in a better mood after last night."

Ranger frowned. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Jesus, Ranger, relax. Have you forgotten you have a tracker on your car? I know where you were all night and I was just teasing you. I'm happy for you, man. For both of you."

Ranger clenched his fist. No wonder Stephanie hated those damn trackers. They were a fucking invasion of privacy. "After the meeting this morning, I'll be off line all day unless it's important or something happens with Stephanie," he said, disconnecting call.

Ranger turned on his computer and went to the Google search page. He typed in, _How to keep a woman interested. _There were a ton of results and he checked out the first few, but didn't find exactly what he was looking for.

He changed the search term to _Maintaining a romantic relationship_. This looked a little more promising. He clicked on one of the links and found an entire list of things. He printed the list and picked up his ink pen. He'd mark the most important items for consideration.

The first one was a gimme. _Tell her you love her at least once a day._ "I can do that," Ranger said aloud, putting a check mark next to it. "I like it. Easy and effective."

Next on the list. _Call her for no reason_. "Hunh," he grumbled. Why would he call her for no reason? He could always think of a reason to call her, but calling for no reason had him stumped. He picked up his phone and called Tank. He'd been dating Lula for several months. Maybe he'd know what it meant.

"Yo," came Tanks voice.

"Tank. Why would a person call another person for no reason?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, Tank said, "You mean like you're doing now?"

"Fuck you," Ranger said. "This is serious."

"Oh, sorry," came Tank's reply. "Well, let me see." There was more silence. "Shit, Ranger. I don't know. Maybe just to hear their voice?"

"Well, that would be a reason, wouldn't it?" Ranger asked.

"Hmm, yeah, I see your point. Give me a minute," Tank said. "Hmm, oh, maybe because they're away from each other and they miss the other person."

"Tank, missing the other person would be a reason. I need to know why they'd call for no reason."

"I'm stumped, Rangeman. If I think of something I'll call you back. You taking a Cosmo survey?" Tank asked with a chuckle.

Ranger disconnected without answering. "Shit," he mumbled. "I'm just crossing that one off for now."

Next on the list. _Whisper sweet nothings in her ear. _He figured sweet nothings actually meant sweet somethings and put a check mark next to it. He could do this one. Two out of three so far.

Number four. _Ask her how her day went_ _and listen carefully while she talks about it_. "Piece of cake," Ranger said with a smile, putting another check mark on the list. "This is turning out to be easier than I thought. I'm always interested in listening to Stephanie talk about her day."

He glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost time for the 8 am meeting. He'd work on the list more after he wrapped things up there. He folded the piece of paper in half and slid it under his keyboard.

XXX

At five minutes to eight, Stephanie pulled her car into Yashi's driveway. He opened the door about twenty seconds after she knocked and gifted her with a big dimpled smile.

"Stephanie, I'm so happy to see you. Come in," he said, stepping aside for her to enter.

He was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, and a gray t-shirt. Nothing special, but man he was a gorgeous guy. "I was hoping you would make the decision to allow me to help you."

Stephanie returned his smile. "Like you said the other day, Yashi, how could a person turn down getting paid to swim, dance and learn karate."

"I'm a genius, aren't I?" he asked with a grin. "Made you an offer you can't refuse."

"Absolutely," she agreed, following him as he led her to his workout room. She wasn't quite sure at what point her anger at being suspended turned into acceptance and then into something to look forward to, but she decided not to examine it too closely. It was probably best to just go with it and enjoy the results.

When they walked in the room, she dropped her purse on the floor, off to the side of the doorway, and looked around. It seemed he had everything a person could want in a home gym.

In the middle of the floor there were some large padded mats. She figured that was where they'd do the karate lessons.

"So," Yashi said, facing her with his hands on his hips. "I assume you've spoken with Ranger about you-know-what," he said with a wink.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?"

Yashi threw his head back and laughed. "Steph, you're fairly glowing with magical radiance this morning. I'm pretty sure it's not from donuts or Special K. I'm figuring it must be from Special R."

Now it was Stephanie's turn to laugh. "That obvious, eh?"

"Indeed," Yashi agreed. "I'm very happy for you."

"You certainly were right on the money with your idea, Yashi. It worked like a charm."

"I know about these things," he told her.

"How about you?" she asked. "Is there someone special in your life?"

"No, not right now," was all he said.

Stephanie couldn't help her curious nature. "Have you ever been married?"

"No, I've never been married. "I did have a very special relationship though. I dated the most beautiful dancer in New York City for five years."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry it didn't work out," Steph told him.

"It did work out," Yashi said softly. "Sandy and I didn't end it. A drunk driver did," he said, his voice fading a bit at the end.

Stephanie put her hands to her mouth. "Oh no! Yashi, I'm so sorry. How horrible."

Yashi bent down to move two of the padded mats closer together. "It's okay, Steph." He straightened back up and gave her a small smile. "It's been almost eight months. I'm at the stage right now where I can talk about it without feeling like I'm going to fall apart ... except for those times I can't, if that makes any sense."

Steph nodded. "I'm sure it does. I've never been though something like that, so I can only image the hurt and pain."

Yashi nodded to acknowledge he'd heard her, but didn't reply. Suddenly, he clapped his hands once and said, "Okay, let's get going here, otherwise I'm going to be late getting to the bonds office. I have someone coming over from Les Sebring's office who is interested in picking up some extra work, bringing in your skips while you're off."

Stephanie groaned. "Jean Ellen?"

"No, his name is Jimmy Delgado. Who is Jean Ellen?"

"She works for Les too, but I'm sure she only does high bond skips. She's sort of like Sydney Bristow from Alias, except she's blond."

"I see," he said with a smile. "You don't sound like her biggest fan." He walked over and stood on the mats and motioned for her to follow.

"First we're going to work on some simple stretching exercises so we don't pull any muscles when we're actually practicing the moves."

For the next several minutes, they did the stretching exercises he showed her, then they spent another twenty minutes repeating three basic moves. It was much easier, so far, than Stephanie thought it would be and Yashi was great company. He had a great sense of humor and he laughed easily and was quick to praise her when she got the moves right.

Eventually, he looked at his watch. "You did a great job today, Steph. Will Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings work for you?

"Sure, whatever is good for you."

"Great. I have to hit the shower and get dressed now. Otherwise, Connie is going to wonder what happened to me. You're welcome to dance next and then use the pool or you can check out the bikes in the garage to see if one suits you."

"Okay," Stephanie said and nodded. It was going to feel weird hanging out in his house when he wasn't there.

As if he read her mind, he turned back around at the door. "Seriously, make yourself at home. It's nice to know the house won't just be sitting here empty all day." With that, he disappeared though the doorway.

Stephanie walked over to the cabinet that held the stereo system and selected a station with good dance music. Standing several feet from the mirrored wall, she took a few dance steps, but felt rather silly dancing by herself in an empty room. _Come on,_ she told herself. _It's good exercise and you'll be holding up your end of the training deal_.

She made a couple more starts and stops, then a song came on she really liked and she started dancing to it as she would if she were at a dance club with a partner. When the song finally ended, she was startled to hear Yashi applauding from the doorway.

"Bravo," he said with a grin. "You're an excellent dancer and enjoyable to watch."

Stephanie felt the color flood into her face. "Thanks. My mom made my sister and I take dance lessons when we were kids, but I don't dance much these days."

"Speaking of your mom, did you ever call her back?" Yashi asked curiously.

"Not yet. She's just so ... unpleasant sometimes," she finished with a sigh.

Yashi shook his head and smiled. "I've gotta run. I'll see you Friday."

"See you Friday," Steph repeated to his retreating back.

**A/N - As you may have noticed, I uploaded a picture of Yashi at the top of the page in the summary box. If you click on the picture, it'll show you a larger version. I wanted you to see how gorgeous he really is. :) **

**Actually, the picture is actor, Russell Wong, but this has been the picture in my mind as I've written about Yashi. It kind of looks like he's standing outside by the bonds office, doesn't it?**

**As always, thank you for the reviews. I think I'm caught up on answering them and look forward to finding out if you like this chapter. Isn't Ranger just too cute, Googling ways to make his Babe happy?**


	11. Chapter 11

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 11**

At 8 am exactly, Ranger called the meeting to order and at 9:14 am there was nothing left to report. Good, he could dismiss these guys soon and get back upstairs to his computer.

He did have one more thing to discuss. "Okay, everyone can go except the core team."

Once the regular employees cleared out of the room, Ranger told the core team that Stephanie had offered to help with more of the office work until they hired an office manager. He knew they would all be relieved and happy, but went through with the formality. I'm going to try to convince her to come on full time and offer her full benefits. We need the help. All in favor say _aye_. The guys all said aye. All opposed, say _no_. There was silence.

"Good. Gotta go," Ranger said, heading for the door.

"Where's the fire?" Tank said with a chuckle.

"No fire, just things to do," Ranger told him. It was none of their dang business what he was doing upstairs.

"Wait!" Tank said. "You know that question you called me about earlier?"

Ranger shifted uncomfortably as he noticed Lester and Bobby listening with great interest.

"What about it?" Ranger barked out. He hoped his tone of voice was enough to warn Tank not to say too much out loud in front of the other guys.

"I didn't come up with anything, but you should ask Lester, for obvious reasons. If anyone will know, it'll be him.

Ranger cut his eyes over to Lester, then looked at Tank and said, "No. No way."

"Oh come on," Lester said. "Now I've got to know what it's all about."

"Forget it," Ranger told him.

Lester stuck out his bottom lip. Pleeease. Come on. What if I have the perfect answer for you? You want to take the chance of never finding out whatever it is? Come on, pleeease."

"Okay, shut up!" Ranger barked out.

Lester grinned. Nothing could make Ranger cave faster than whining. He had zero tolerance for it.

"Everyone else out," Ranger ordered.

"Okay," Lester said when they were alone. "Throw it out there and Dr. Lester will spin you an answer."

Ranger rolled his eyes. "This stays between the two of us," Ranger ordered.

"Got it," Lester agreed.

Ranger cleared his throat. "Why would a person call another person for no reason?"

Lester grinned. "You been reading relationship advice, Rangeman?"

"No," Ranger lied.

"Bullshit," Lester said. "I recognize that question and I know the answer.

"Well for God's sake, spit it out," Ranger demanded.

"You call a person for no reason, but you really have a reason," Lester explained.

A frown creased Ranger's forehead. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Look, women want to know you're thinking about them and not just when you want something or when you need to tell them something. So, once in a while, pick up the phone and call her. Just chat, but don't bring up anything important because then that will turn into the reason you called."

Ranger thought it over. "I think I kind of see where this is going, but what do I ... I mean, what do _you_ say if she asks you why you called?"

Lester grinned. "If she asks why you called, you say, _no reason_."

"And she won't think that's stupid?" Ranger queried?

"Nope. You should try it right now while I'm here to coach you. You'll see. It works like a charm. Go ahead, dial Steph's number."

Ranger pulled his phone off his belt, then hesitated. He wondered if she was still at Yashi's house.

"Come on, call her," Lester prompted.

Ranger hit the number one on speed dial.

Steph heard the faint ringing of her phone over the loud music. She turned down the volume on the stereo and ran over to dig her phone out of her purse. She checked the caller I.D. first to make sure it wasn't her mother. Oh, sweet, it was Ranger.

"Yo!" she said cheerfully.

"Babe. Why are you out of breath?"

"I'm dancing," she told him. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Ranger told her. "You're dancing with Yashi?" He felt his heart sink.

"No, he already left for the bonds office. I'm dancing alone." Her breathing was starting to become a bit more even.

"Oh, that's good." Ranger looked at Lester wondering what he should do next. This didn't seem to be going all that well.

"Is everything okay, Ranger?" Stephanie asked him.

"Yeah, Babe. Everything is fine."

"Why'd you call?"

Ranger grinned. "No reason."

Stephanie frowned. Ranger didn't do things for no reason. "Are you sure?"

"Yep."

Stephanie smiled. She didn't know what was going on, but it kind of seemed like he missed her or just wanted to hear her voice. Could that possibly be true? She decided to check his responses. "I miss you, Ranger."

A 200 watt grin lit up Ranger's face. "I miss you too, Babe."

"It's good to hear your voice," she added.

"It's good to hear yours too, Steph."

"I'll let you go. Can't wait to see you at dinner tonight," she said, letting him off the hook.

"Me too, Babe. Bye."

"Bye, Ranger," she said as she disconnected.

Ranger closed his phone and lifted his hand to give Lester a 'high five'. "I think it caught her off guard, but it went pretty well after that," he said.

"Told you. Chicks eat that shit up. There are variations of it too."

"Really?" Ranger sat down at the conference table and tore a sheet of paper off a legal pad, then grabbed an ink pen. "Out with them, Santos."

Lester sat down across from Ranger and put his feet up on the edge of the table. Normally, Ranger wouldn't put up with that, but he wanted info at the moment, so Lester knew he wouldn't say anything. "Well, let's see. You can tell her you're calling because you can't stop thinking about her. Or, you can say you're calling because you can't wait to see her again. Or, you can say you're calling because the blue sky made you think of her beautiful eyes. You know, crap like that."

Ranger was writing as fast as he could. "Crap like that? Don't make it sound so romantic, Les."

Lester laughed. "Just don't sweat all this stuff. It's all just a big game anyway."

Ranger's head snapped up from the paper he was writing on. "What? I don't want to play games with Stephanie."

"They're not bad games, Ranger. There are bad games and good games. These calls are good games. Wouldn't you like it if she called just because she missed you or wanted to hear your voice?"

Ranger thought it over. "Yes, I guess I would. Okay, I think I've got it now. Only good games."

"Right," Lester said. "Anything else? Need help planning a date? Tips on great sex? Writing out wedding invitations?"

"No. Remember to keep all this to yourself or I'll chop your body into little pieces and feed you to the sharks."

Lester laughed as he stood up to leave. "You always say the sweetest things."

Ranger headed back up to the seventh floor and Lester went straight to Tank's office.

"How'd it go?" Tank asked Lester when he flopped down in the chair in front of Tank's desk.

"It went fine, but what the hell is wrong with him? I've known him forever and he's never needed advice on women. Ever."

Tank grinned. "He's never been serious about one before. He was a master at one night stands, but he's never been in love. He doesn't know jack shit about having a relationship."

"He's a nervous wreck about this," Lester told him.

"Have you met the man that bought out Vinnie's?" Tank asked him.

"No, why?"

"Lula told me that Connie and Stephanie think he's drool worthy. I think Ranger's a little worried that he's interested in Steph."

"Ah, now it all makes sense," Lester said with a chuckle. Nothing like a little competition to keep a man on his toes."

XXX

Ranger made a plate of food from the breakfast tray that Ella had left for him and carried it to his office. He pulled the list out from under his keyboard and picked up his pen.

The next thing on the list said, _Don't wait for a special occasion to buy her a gift. _"Got it," he said, placing a check mark next to it.

_Send her flowers for no reason at all. _Ranger sighed. There was that no reason thing again, but this time he had a better idea of what it meant. Check.

_Write down the name of her favorite perfume so you don't forget. _"Simple, I know that one already. Dolce Vita." Check.

He was feeling more confident by the minute. After this, all he needed to do was find some balance between being a badass and being in love. He felt off his game lately and wasn't sure how he was going bring in a skip or kick someone's ass when Stephanie was on his mind twenty-four-seven. Still, he knew other people did it, so he'd figure it out. After all, he was Ranger Manoso and he had a reputation to uphold.

He ran through the rest of the list picking up the key words. _Things to remember: Her favorite food,_ _favorite color, favorite beverage_, _favorite movie, favorite song_. Check, check, check, check. Hmm, her favorite song? He had no idea, but he'd find out. Finished. He read through the list again, committed it to memory and fed it to the paper shredder to get rid of the evidence.

He figured the first step toward getting back into the swing of things was to spend some time in his office on the fifth floor. Certainly the pile of paperwork that was no doubt waiting for him would take his mind off his Babe for a while and help him get his focus back. After that, he'd head to the gun range and shoot some paper men.

XXX

Back at her apartment, Stephanie showered and washed the chlorine from Yashi's pool out of her hair. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue tank top, then went to the kitchen to make a peanut butter and olive sandwich and feed Rex. When she was finished, she picked up her purse and headed to the bonds office. She needed to have a talk with Yashi.

Ranger was busy plowing through the endless pile of papers in his wire basket when Tank came to his door. "Knock, knock," Tank said instead of actually knocking.

"What's up?" Ranger asked, looking up from his paperwork.

"We're short a shift for surveillance tonight. If you'll take 8 to 10 pm. I'll take Binky with me and cover 10 to midnight. We'll just have to find you a partner."

"What's wrong with Vince and Ram? Aren't they supposed to be covering the 8 to midnight shift this week?"

"Glad you were listening at the meeting," Tank told him, shaking his head. "Vince has 18 stitches in his ass from wrestling with a skip on a pile of glass last night and Ram has a fever of 103."

"I knew that," Ranger lied. "I'll cover 8 to 10 and take Stephanie with me."

Tank grinned. "Just remember, it's hard to see out the windows when they're all steamed up."

"Go away, Tank."

"No problem," Tank said with a laugh as he headed back to his own office.

Ranger sighed. He couldn't believe he missed such vital information at the morning meeting. This couldn't continue or it could end up being disastrous. There was a time to think about work and a time to think about Stephanie and he had to get a handle on separating the two. At least she wouldn't be picking up skips for the next three months. That alone would cause him a lot less worry.

He wondered who Yashi was going to use to pick up the low bond skips. He should have asked about that the other day. Those skips would be good practice for the new guys he'd hired two weeks ago. The money wasn't all that great, but would help cover their salaries and allow them to learn the ropes at the same time. He decided to head over to the bonds office and talk to Yashi about it. He stopped at Tank's office and told him where he was going and the reason. They discussed it for a few minutes and Tank agreed it was a good idea.

Yashi was just coming out of the bonds office when Stephanie was getting out of her car. He walked over to meet her and gave her a big smile. "You survived your first day and you look great," he told her.

Stephanie smiled back. "Thanks, I actually liked it. You're leaving?"

"Just taking a break. I didn't eat breakfast so thought I'd go out for a sandwich. Care to join me?"

"No, I just ate, thanks. I wanted to speak with you for a minute."

"We can go back inside," he offered.

"No, this is fine. I just ... oh, shoot. Here comes Lula," she said.

Yashi glanced behind him and saw Lula's red Firebird pulling up to the curb. He took Stephanie's arm and guided her around the corner of the bonds office to the alley, out of Lula's sight.

"Okay, what's up?" he asked her. "Everything okay?"

"I guess it depends on how you look at it. I made a decision this morning as I was leaving your house and wanted to let you know right away."

"Okay, shoot." Yashi said.

"I'm not going to come back to work as a bounty hunter," she told him. But, I'd still like to take karate lessons with you and continue with the dancing, swimming and bike riding, so I was hoping I could just pay you for everything."

Yashi looked very surprised. "You're going to quit bounty hunting, but you still want to train?"

"Right. I guess that sounds pretty strange coming from me, but it's what I want. Like I told you the other day, one of Ranger's biggest concerns when it comes to having a relationship with me is my safety. I'm sick of bounty hunting anyway. What happened at Shorty's the other day, even though those guys weren't skips, was kind of the last straw.

"I came so close to losing my life, it scares me to think about it. For a long time I've been putting myself in danger, but kept shoving the fear to the back of my mind, refusing to think about it. I don't want to do that any more. I'm ready to move on and do something else with my life.

"I figure the least I can do on my part to relieve Ranger's mind is to get in shape, stay in shape and learn to use my gun. It'll be good for me and he'll be delighted.

"My ex kept trying to get me to quit and I fought him at every turn. It's different with Ranger. He'd never ask me to quit, but I know he worries and I can't think of a good reason to allow that to continue."

Yashi nodded, indicating that he understood everything she'd explained to him. "I think that's great Stephanie. I'd love for you to continue your training, but there's no reason to pay for it."

"No, that wouldn't be right," Stephanie said.

"Steph, we're only talking about three karate lessons a week. I'm not even going to be around for the swimming, dancing and bike riding. Please, let me do this. I need little things like this to keep my mind busy."

Stephanie wondered if he meant keeping his mind off losing Sandy. "If you're sure," she told him.

Yashi gave a big grin. "I'm very sure."

They headed back toward the front of the bonds office and Yashi slung his arm around her shoulder as they walked. "I'm actually relieved that you're not going to be bounty hunting any more. I would have been afraid for you every day. I'm sure Ranger is going to be overjoyed."

As they stepped out to the front of the building, Yashi leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "He's a lucky man and you're going to make a great partner for him."

Ranger pulled up across the street from the bonds office and headed for the front door. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and stopped in his tracks as he saw Yashi and his Babe exiting the alley. He froze in place and his heart stopped beating for a moment.

Stephanie beamed up at Yahsi. "I sure hope so," she said, standing up on her tip toes and giving Yashi a kiss on his cheek. "And I have you to thank."

Stephanie and Yashi turned their eyes to the street at the same moment and time stood still as her eyes locked with Ranger's. Her heart sank when she saw his blank face and his fists clenched at his sides. This was not good. Not at all.


	12. Chapter 12

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_Stephanie and Yashi turned their eyes to the street at the same moment and time stood still as her eyes locked with Ranger's. Her heart sank when she saw his blank face and his fists clenched at his sides. This was not good. Not at all._

**Chapter 12**

"Somebody is not happy," Yashi said with a snort, leaning close to her ear so Ranger wouldn't overhear him. "Do you need me to stick around and help explain?"

Steph snorted too, but it was with nervous laughter, not amusement, like Yashi. "No, probably you should go lock yourself in your office, Yashi."

"And leave you to face him alone?"

"He wouldn't physically hurt me for anything in the world, but I can't give the same guarantee concerning you. Go. I'll handle this," she implored, giving Yashi a look that she hoped would convince him to walk away.

"I'm not afraid of him, Steph."

"You should be."

"Why? He's just leaning against his truck now."

Stephanie snapped her head back toward the street and sure enough, there was Ranger, leaning against his truck with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs crossed at his ankles.

Hunh.

His face was still blank, but there was no longer a murderous rage vibe bouncing off him.

Steph looked both ways, checking for traffic, then started across the street. "I'll see you Friday," she called over her shoulder.

"Sounds good," Yashi said as he headed toward his car.

She reached Ranger and stopped in front of him. He leaned down and kissed her mouth then said, "Hi, Babe. Have a few minutes to talk?"

He stepped away from her and opened the passenger side door to his truck. He helped her inside then went around and got in beside her.

Instead of beating around the bush, Stephanie just came right out and said, "Why aren't you upset any more?"

"No need to be," he said simply.

"When you first got out of your truck, you were ready to murder someone," she challenged.

"True. Yashi's lucky I'm a quick thinker."

Stephanie frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ranger reached over and wound a long curl around his finger. "Babe, when I first saw the two of you come out from the alley, I had a knee-jerk reaction. I know what that alley is good for. Then I realized that you're Stephanie Plum."

"And?"

Ranger smiled. "And Stephanie Plum spent the night making love with me last night. She wouldn't turn around and be making out with Yashi in the alley this morning.

"Besides, your clothes aren't in disarray, your hair isn't messy and your lips aren't red and swollen."

Stephanie put her head down and chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at her hands folded on her lap.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Ranger reached over and gently took her left hand.

"Do you know how many times I was in Joe's bed one night and making out with you in the alley the next morning?" she said softly.

Ranger squeezed her hand. "But you weren't in love with Joe."

"Doesn't make it right," she said. "Probably makes it worse. I ... I thought I loved him."

Ranger turned on the ignition key and hit the button to slide his seat back a bit, then pulled Stephanie over onto his lap. "I'm sorry, Steph. I know you feel badly about that, but wasn't Joe sleeping with Terry Gilman more often than not?"

Stephanie nodded against his chest. "Yes, but his bad behavior doesn't excuse mine." She rested her head against Ranger's chest, snuggling into his warmth.

"The two of you weren't good for each other, Babe. Don't hold onto the guilt too long. I'm sure Joe hasn't. As for me, I'm not sorry for making out with you in the alley, but I'm sorry for my part in making you feel bad." He gave her a soft kiss on top her head and smiled as he breathed in the scent of peaches and cream. "You switching shampoos on a daily basis, Babe?"

She laughed a bit. "I found a good sale at the drugstore, so I bought several different scents. Half price and all. Ranger?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you know I wouldn't cheat on you and I'm glad you're a fast thinker and figured all that out. Yashi really is a nice guy and he hasn't done one inappropriate thing or even suggested anything ... personal."

"Can I ask why the two of you were in our alley?"

Stephanie smiled at him calling it their alley. "I stopped by to talk to him about something and he was already outside, walking to his car. I was just going to speak to him on the sidewalk, but then I looked up and saw Lula pulling up. You know how she can be so ... "

"Nosy?"

"Yeah. Anyway, we just walked back to the alley so she wouldn't overhear us."

"Was it something you couldn't talk to me about, Babe? I hope you know you can tell me anything."

"I do know that. I was going to talk to you at dinner tonight, but I needed to talk to Yashi first."

"You can tell me now. Or do you still want to wait until dinner?"

"No, I can tell you now. I'm getting out of the bonds business. No more bounty hunting for me. I wanted to let Yashi know and ask him if he'll still teach me karate and still let me use his pool and workout room."

Ranger was shocked to his core. This was something he'd wanted for a long, long time, but never told her. He'd never tell her what she could or couldn't do, but damn, this was the best news ever. His arms tightened around her waist. "How did you come to that decision, Babe?"

"I really just made the decision this morning, but it started with the incident at Shorty's. Even though those two guys weren't skips of mine, they were probably someone's skips in another state. Anyway, it's the first time since I started working as a bounty hunter that either you or one of your guys didn't show up to rescue me. If it ... "

"Steph, I'm so sorry about ... "

"No, let me finish," she interrupted him. "I'm not looking for an apology, Ranger. Anyway, the next thing that happened was us, last night. I started thinking that if Yashi hadn't been there to help me, I'd probably be dead by now and there wouldn't be an us.

"It was still on my mind this morning and I decided that I don't want to take any more crazy chances. I know there are no guarantees in life and something could happen to either of us at any time, but I don't want to die in an exploding car or get kidnapped or die in my apartment from a fire bomb, or whatever. I want to spend as much time with you on this earth as the universe will allow."

Ranger moved a hand to her chin and tilted her head up to look at her beautiful eyes. He lowered his head until his lips met hers and kissed her tenderly. "I love you, Stephanie," he said softly when the kiss was over.

"I love you too, Ranger. More than I even realized."

"Not that I'm complaining," Ranger said, "but why are you going to continue the karate and other stuff if you're getting out of the business?"

"Because, you told me you want to have a relationship with me some day and that your primary concern is for my safety. I want to take responsibility for part of my safety. I'm going to get in good shape and build up my muscles and learn karate. And, I'm going to _stay_ in shape. Oh, and I wanted to ask you if you'll help me at the gun range?"

Relief flooded through him. He was thrilled that she didn't want only Yashi to help her with her training. Maybe he'd let the pissant live after all. Her gave her a big grin. "Babe, any time any where, I'll help you at the gun range and with anything else that will advance your plan. I can't tell you what a happy man you've made me today."

Stephanie tilted her head up and gave him a peck on the lips. "Happier than you were last night?"

Ranger put his mouth to her throat and made a sound that was somewhere between a purr and a growl and nipped at her skin. He then trailed a smattering of kisses up the side of her neck, then across her jaw to her lips. "Last night was the best night of my life, Steph. Today is the best day of my life. I want a million more of each with you."

He kissed her again until they were both breathing heavily, then rested his forehead against hers. "I should get back to work, Babe. The guys are anxious to have you come in and work in the office. When do you want to start?"

"Is tomorrow good for you?"

"Perfect, Babe. You can come on full time if you want and have the job permanently since you won't be bounty hunting any more."

"Oh, I don't know about that. You know how I feel about being stuck in an office all day. But, I will work close to full time hours for the next three months. That'll give me a lot of time to figure out what I want to do."

"That reminds me," Ranger said. "I have to pull a two hour surveillance shift tonight from eight to ten. Will you be my partner? We could just leave from my apartment after dinner then drive each other crazy in the truck and then go back to my apartment to finish what we'll no doubt start in the truck." He wriggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed at that. "Did Lester teach you to do that?"

"No way. Guys are born knowing how to do that. So, you want to go with me?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Steph told him.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, then Steph said, "I think we both took a huge step forward today, don't you?"

Ranger nodded his agreement. "Yes, I feel very hopeful about our future together, Steph."

He was also feeling very good and very confident that he was going to be able to get his shit together now and find his inner badass. Stephanie was his and she loved him. He didn't have to worry about that. She was giving up the bounty hunter thing and that brought him relief beyond belief. And, she was planning for her own safety for the future. Dios! He loved her so much.

XXX

Stephanie spent the next couple hours at the mall, picking up some things to replace the stained and torn clothing she'd thrown away. She also stopped at Victoria's Secret and bought several new sexy bra and panty sets. If she was going to be spending a lot of nights in Ranger's company, she needed pretty underthings, she reasoned.

Next, she headed over to her mother's house. Lord knows she didn't want to, but she needed to get it over with and the longer she put it off, the worse it would become.

They sat at the kitchen table and Stephanie nibbled at some freshly baked sugar cookies while her mom droned on and on about the incident at Shorty's along with all the usual barbs about no one else's daughter being the embarrassment and pain in the ass that Steph was.

Next, of course, her mother turned to the subject of Morelli and marriage, but Stephanie was ready for this subject. She sat up straighter in her chair. "Mom," she said, trying to interrupt the endless chatter.

"Mom," she said a little louder.

"Mother!" she fairly yelled. "Stop!"

Helen jerked back in her chair a bit at the sound of her youngest daughter yelling at her. "Stephanie Michelle Plum, don't you use that tone of voice with me. I didn't raise you to ..."

"Mother!" Stephanie yelled again, causing Helen to finally shut her mouth.

"I can't stay here all day and I need to get a word in edgewise," Steph told her. "I'm going to say this and I don't want to _ever_ have to repeat it again. I am _not_ going to marry Joe Morelli. Not now, not ever! I will give you something you've been wanting though."

"God only knows what's going to come out of your mouth next, Stephanie, but go ahead and say it and get it out of your system," Helen said, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting to do battle.

"Mom. I know you won't want to hear this, but I'm in love with Ranger and I'm seeing him now. Exclusively. I love him, he loves me and he's a good, good man, mom. This is the deal I'm willing to make you. If you promise to never speak to me again about marrying Joe, and you refrain from complaining about my relationship with Ranger, I'll give up my bounty hunting career and find a different, much safer job."

Helen's eyes grew wide. She certainly hated Stephanie dictating to her how things would be, but she'd been wanting her to give up that stupid bounty hunting career since the day she started it. "You're telling the truth?" Helen asked. "If I drop the subject of marrying Joe and don't complain about you seeing Ranger, you'll really quit that stupid joke of a job?"

"I swear," Stephanie told her.

Helen was silent for another minute or two, then said, "Deal."

Stephanie wasn't sure how she did it, but she restrained herself from bursting out into laughter at her little con job until she was driving away in her car a few minutes later. She wondered if she should feel bad about putting one over on her mother, but she just couldn't find it in herself to feel bad. What her mother didn't know, wouldn't hurt her and it would make life a whole lot more peaceful.

XXX

It was twenty minutes after eight and Ranger and Stephanie were sitting in a black SUV watching a one story house covered with tan aluminum siding. They were watching for a skip named Frank Ubar whom Stephanie insisted on referring to as Fubar.

"Babe," Ranger said, keeping his voice low. "Since you're coming to work at RangeMan, you can do surveillance with me on a regular basis."

"Oh goody," Steph said with a laugh. She looked over at him to make sure he knew she was kidding. She'd do surveillance with him any time. It was the most boring job in the world, but being in close quarters with Ranger more than made up for it.

She saw the corner of his mouth tilt up and knew everything was okay. "Let's play a game," she said.

"Babe, I'm not playing Truth or Dare with you again. You cheat."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "It's impossible to cheat at Truth or Dare," she informed him.

"It's impossible for most people to cheat at it, but not you," he said with a grin.

"Okay fine. I'll think of something else." After a pause, she said, "How about Rock, Paper, Scissors?"

"We'd have to take our eyes off the house too often," he reminded her.

"Okay, you think of something, Mr. Manoso."

Ranger thought about it for a minute. "How about if instead of playing a game, we talk. You know, get to know each other better."

Stephanie had been slouched down in her seat, but that made her sit up straighter. "Okay. Tell me something about yourself no one knows."

Ranger glanced over and flashed her a smile. "Oh, you want the big secrets right off the bat, eh? Okay. Let me think about it for a second."

He was only quiet for a few seconds when he said, "I can sing."

Stephanie's eyes grew wide. "You told me once before you don't sing," she accused.

"I don't sing, Babe. I said I can sing, not that I do sing. There's a difference."

"Will you sing for me sometime? I'll make it worth your while."

Now he flashed her a big grin before looking back at the house. "There you go, wielding all the power again. How can I refuse? But, I only sing in the shower."

"No problem," Stephanie said with a smile."I guess when you told me you were good in the shower, you meant in more ways than one."

"I'll let you be the judge of that, Babe," he said with a wink. And now it's my turn to ask you a question."

"Okay, shoot. I don't really think I have any big secrets."

"We'll see. First question. "Have you ever pulled a big con job on your mother?"

Stephanie's mouth dropped open. "What! Are you talking about ... wait, what are you talking about?"

It was getting darker outside and it was especially dark where they were sitting under a big shade tree, but she didn't need to see him to know he was amused. She could hear him trying unsuccessfully to hide his laughter. "Ranger, are you talking in general or are you hinting at something specific?"

"I wasn't hinting at all, Babe. Just asking. However, if you want a hint, I was curious about something that happened recently. Very recently."

"I know you're talking about what happened earlier today. How did you hear about it? You don't have a wire in my purse, do you? Because that would piss me off."

"Babe, I'd never wire you without your knowledge."

"And the answer to my other question?"

"Your mom called me late this afternoon to invite me to dinner on Friday night. She told me about the deal you made with her."

"Christ! She's a menace. You'd think she would have just been happy and kept her mouth shut, but no, now she's going to start planning our wedding. Fuck!"

Ranger glanced over. "It could happen in the future, right?"

Stephanie didn't answer him right away.

"Steph?" He shifted a bit in his seat to look at her better. "Would you marry me some day in the future if things work out between us?"

"Maybe," she said softly.

"Geeze, Babe. Don't be so pushy," he teased her. "We can take as much time as we want before we come to that kind of decision."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I'll tell you what. If you ever decide you want to ask me to marry you, then you're going to have to come up with a proposal that no one has ever done before."

Ranger shifted his gaze back to the tan house. "How are we going to know if it's ever been done before? It's not like we can look it up in a registry, and people have done some really weird things."

Stephanie shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we'll both have to agree that whatever it is has probably never been done before. Like, flashing a message on the big screen at Yankee Stadium has been done before. Flying a sign in the air behind an airplane has been done. Renting a billboard, done."

Ranger nodded. "Got it. And good thing I have a hell of an imagination," he told her.

Light from two headlights illuminated the inside of the truck as Tank and Binky pulled up behind them. In the faint light she saw the corner of Ranger's mouth tilted up. She wondered if he was amused at the thought of marrying her some day or if he was amused by thoughts of how he would propose. She supposed time would tell if they ever got to that point.

She couldn't believe their shift was up already. It was the fastest two hours of surveillance she'd ever sat through. She knew she'd never get tired of spending time with Ranger, no matter what the circumstance.

As they pulled away from the curb, Ranger reached over and took her hand and held it in his on his thigh. "Next question. What was the name of your first crush?"

"That's easy," Steph said. "I was in kindergarten and his name was Eric Wise. Time for another question for you. "What is something you always wanted to do as a child, but the grown-ups wouldn't allow it?"

"Hmm," Ranger said. "I need a minute to think about that one."

He was quiet for a while and Stephanie started to think he wasn't going to answer. Finally he said, "Oh, I know! And, I'll show you right now. I'll bet it's something you always wanted to do too."

"Really, what is it?"

"You'll see. Let me surprise you." He turned the truck around and headed toward the freeway and twenty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of the new mall that was scheduled to open soon.

"Ranger, they're not open for business yet. And even if they were, they wouldn't be open after ten o'clock."

"I know. Remember I told you RangeMan is going to do the security? I have a key.

"I thought you hadn't signed the contract yet?"

"We haven't, but it's just a formality. The deal is done. Stop worrying, woman," he said.

They walked inside hand in hand. It was pretty dark, but there were some security lights on in front of several of the stores.

When they got to the center of the mall, Ranger stopped and turned to face the fountain. "Well?" he asked.

"Oooh, of course!" Stephanie said excitedly. "I aways wanted to put my feet in the fountain when we'd go to a mall, but of course my mother wouldn't let me." She was delighted at his surprise.

They sat down on one of the nearby benches and rolled up their pant legs and took off their boots and socks. Ranger took her hand again and held it as they walked to the edge of the big pool of water and carefully stepped inside. They sat down on the edge and grinned at one another.

"This is perfect," Stephanie whispered.

"So are you," Ranger whispered back.

She smiled up at him and saw the love in his eyes and her heart felt ready to burst with love and excitement at the thought of spending her life with this gorgeous, loving man.

She turned a bit and reached behind her to pick up her purse where she'd dropped it on the floor. Digging around, she came up with two pennies and handed one to Ranger. "Make a wish," she told him.

"I have everything I want when I'm with you, Babe."

Stephanie grinned up at him. "That's very sweet, but think of something, Goober. We're in a fountain. You have to make a wish."

Ranger barked out a laugh. "Tell me you didn't just call me Goober."

"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't," Stephanie said with a giggle. "Maybe you should toss your penny in and wish for better hearing."

"You really like playing with fire, don't you?" he asked her.

"Only with you, but if you don't like it, you can make a wish for me to stop playing with fire."

Ranger snorted. "Not a chance."

Then, unplanned, but at the exact same time, they tossed their pennies into the pool and grinned at each other when the two coins sank to the bottom and landed side by side, edges touching.

Ranger's eyes locked onto hers and held her mesmerized. "We will have that someday we've talked about, Babe. I promise."

Stephanie tucked her hand into his and smiled up at him. "I know."


	13. Chapter 13

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 13 **

Ranger was quiet on the drive back to Haywood from the mall. At first she thought he was just in his zone, but after a few minutes she noticed that he kept stealing glances at her before quickly turning his eyes back to the road.

A lot of times she was chatty in the car, but tonight Stephanie was feeling rather mellow and still enjoying the closeness they'd shared at the fountain. It was a little chunk of time in their relationship she would always cherish. She quickly reminded herself not to use the word relationship, even in her mind. She didn't want to accidentally let it slip out and scare the big bad ex Army Ranger sitting next to her.

He was just so adorable, but she was careful not to use that word in front of him either. She was pretty sure handsome and good looking would get her a smile. Adorable would probably get her a pained 'Babe.'

She couldn't think of a time when she'd looked at him and didn't think he was the most gorgeous and sexy man on the face of the earth, but she noticed tonight at the fountain that he was even more sexy when he was relaxed and having fun and allowing his emotions to show on his face. She was going to make it her personal goal in life to make sure he had a lot more fun and relaxation.

She knew it had always been hard for him to let down his guard, but over the past 24 hours he'd given her glimpses of the man behind the mask several times. Every time she thought she couldn't love him any more than she already did, he'd give her another peek her heart would swell up and prove her wrong. She'd never been one for expressing her own feelings much, but more and more she found herself wanting to tell him that she loved him multiple times a day, and let him know how much he meant to her. She made an effort to hold back though.

For one thing, she didn't want to overwhelm him and for another thing, she wasn't all that comfortable with showing her vulnerable side. He owned every square inch of her heart, which meant he also had the power to smash it to pieces, and that scared the hell out of her. She wondered if this whole thing scared him too. He didn't seem scared, but something was on his mind.

They'd gone fifteen minutes without speaking, but when they pulled into the underground garage and parked, he turned to her and smiled warmly. "Thanks for tonight, Babe." He leaned over and kissed her softly.

She felt a huge let-down. Apparently, he was saying goodnight and wanted her to get in her car and leave. She wanted to stay with him, but she needed to live up to her 'casual sex' no strings attached promise. She forced a smile. "Thank you, Ranger. I had a wonderful time at the fountain." She reached for the door handle. "I ... I'll see you tomorrow."

Ranger frowned and reached out to catch her arm before she could get out of the car. "Babe, you're leaving?"

She turned back to look at him and could see the disappointment sketched across his face. "I thought you were telling me goodnight."

"No, I was just thinking about our time at the fountain and wanted you to know it meant a lot to me. I was planning to say goodnight two or three hours from now, then wake up with you draped across my body in the morning," he said, giving her his famous wolf grin.

Stephanie flashed him a grin of her own. "Well, you sure don't seem to be in much of a hurry to get upstairs," she teased.

Ranger flew out of the car and was at her side in two seconds flat. "Wrong," he said, pulling her from the car into his arms. "As a matter of fact, if there wasn't a camera in every corner of this garage, I'd start undressing you now." He brushed her hair aside to place a kiss on the side of her neck and continued to kiss her as he walked her backwards toward the elevator.

"You could scrambled the cameras," she suggested.

"Not a bad idea, but too late now," he said, guiding her into the elevator and pushing the button for the seventh floor.

Once upstairs in his bed, he made love to her slowly, savoring every inch of her beautiful body. He'd been with a lot of women, but he'd never been with one he couldn't get enough of and he'd never been with one he couldn't walk away from until Stephanie. He adored everything about her from her stubborn nature, to her big blue eyes, to her kind heart, her silky soft skin, her teasing sense of humor and her rebellious curls that framed her beautiful face. He didn't fool himself that she was perfect, but she was perfect for him and that's all that mattered.

Following short periods of recovery time, they made love a second and third time. After the third time, when he collapsed on top of her, Stephanie wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Once her breathing returned to normal, she whispered, "You're amazing."

His lips were against her ear and she felt him smile. "I was just thinking that about you, Steph. Every time we make love, it's even better than the time before."

She gave a murmur of agreement, then said, "I should have your tongue insured by Lloyd's of London."

Ranger barked out a laugh. "I'd love to be there when you explain to them why you want to do that."

Instead of rolling over and pulling Stephanie close to him, he pushed himself up so he was straddling her hips. He wished he was still buried inside her and was loathe to move away from her.

"Ranger, please, a little break here before round four."

He grinned at the expression on her face. He'd left the bathroom light on and the door cracked so he could see her a little. If she had her way, they'd be in total darkness. She was self conscious and he couldn't for the life of him understand why. Her body was perfect and shapely and sexy. "Babe, I think I'm done for the night. I just wanted to look at you for a while longer."

She felt herself blush and scrambled for a thought to change the subject. "Ranger, something was bothering you in the car tonight. Please tell me what it was."

He let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "It was nothing, Babe."

Stephanie frowned. "All these years, you've never lied to me and you're going to start now?"

He remained quiet, but leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss.

"Ranger," she said softly against his lips. "Earlier today, you told me there was nothing I couldn't say to you and nothing I couldn't talk to you about. That goes both ways. Please talk to me."

"Steph, I would if it were important, but it isn't. It was stupid. Juvenile even." He sat up again and placed his hands on her hips then ran them up the length of her body. Her skin was so soft it made silk feel like sandpaper in comparison.

Stephanie snorted. "It's hard to believe you've ever had a juvenile thought in your life, even when you were actually a juvenile."

Ranger smiled at her. "You have me confused with Batman. He's never had a juvenile thought. Most of the time, I'm just a man and men have stupid, immature thoughts sometimes."

Stephanie was getting frustrated at his avoidance. She knew he trusted her with his life and now he was trusting her with his heart, but he was still a ways from being able to share his thoughts and problems and doubts with her. He wanted to always be the strong protector and he hated to show any type of vulnerability.

"Take a leap of faith and give me a chance to show you that you can talk to me. You let me know what Batman thinks many times. Let me know what the man I love is thinking."

He blew out a sigh. "Okay, but now it's going to seem really stupid after all this build-up. I was just wondering ... well, I want you to know that I really love the fact that you asked me to help you at the gun range, but ... "

He paused for several seconds, so she encouraged him. "But?"

"But, all the other training. It just makes me wonder what ... what ... what Yashi has that I don't have," he said quickly, rushing through the last part.

Stephanie stared at him in stunned silence thinking he must be kidding, but then he leaned down and rested his forehead between her breasts, effectively hiding his face. Holy shit, he was serious.

She felt a lump form in her throat. Not only because she knew what it took for him to get that question out, but because of the fact that he believed she'd chosen to work with Yashi because of something he lacked.

Stephanie brought her hands up to the back of his head and ran her fingers through his silky strands of hair. She knew he liked that so she continued to do it while she spoke to him. "Ranger," she said softly. Yashi doesn't have anything you don't have. That's not why I'm letting him help me.

"I'm doing this training partly for myself, of course, but also partly for you, for your peace of mind. I'm continuing with Yashi because I want to give something to you rather than take from you. You've done so much for me over the years, but this time, I wanted to go out and accomplish something on my own and then when I'm done, I can present you with the new improved me that you didn't have to spend time or money or manpower to create."

When she was done speaking, Ranger was quiet for a moment, thinking over what she had said. He rolled off her onto his back pulling her with him so she was partly on top of him, her head resting on his chest. He reached down and pulled the sheet over them and let out a contented sigh. "Steph," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her, "you're the best thing that's ever happened to me in my entire thirty-three years."

She turned her head a bit to kiss his chest. "And you're the best thing that's happened to me in my entire twenty-nine years," she said, snorting at her lie about her age.

She felt his chest rumble with a silent chuckle, then closed her eyes. Batman had left the building, but that was okay because Batman didn't need her, Ranger did, and she wanted to fall asleep in the arms of the man she loved.

XXX

Stephanie spent Thursday morning working with Tank who had made a list of the most pressing things they needed to turn over to someone else. They were all typical office tasks. Payroll, filing, faxing insurance forms to the company that provided their health insurance, scheduling and accounts receivable and payable.

There were other things, but these were the things that were the biggest drain on their time and took time away from soliciting new business and negotiating new contracts.

Because it was all different from her normal task of running searches, the hours flew by and before she knew it, Ranger was at her cubicle to whisk her away for lunch.

The afternoon also went by quickly and around four o'clock Ranger appeared at her cubicle again. "Babe, do you have plans for tonight?"

She smiled up at him. She didn't, but she hoped he had plans for both of them. "No, why?"

"There's a carnival in Hamilton Township tonight, want to go with me?"

Wow, he was full of surprises lately. "You want to take me to a carnival?"

Suddenly he felt unsure of himself. "I guess that's not a very good date idea, is it?" he said.

"No! I mean, yes! I love carnivals. They have cotton candy and elephant ears with powdered sugar and hand dipped ice cream in waffle bowls. I'd love to go with you. I was just surprised that it's something that appeals to you. I'll need to go home and change though. What time should I be ready?"

Ranger threw his head back and laughed. He should have known the junk food was her favorite part of a carnival. "I'll pick you up at six, if that's okay. We can go out to dinner first."

Stephanie beamed up at him. "I can't wait."

He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss and actually rolled his eyes at the wolf whistles from Lester, Bobby and Cal that came from across the room. "I'm going to get you your own office," he told her quietly before walking away.

Stephanie signed herself out at exactly five o'clock. When she got home, she fed Rex and told him where she was going. He seemed excited for her and she smiled as she made her way to the bathroom. She piled her hair on top her head and secured it with a clip, then showered and finished getting ready. She was so excited that they were going on a date.

True to his word, Ranger let himself into her apartment at exactly six.

They had dinner at a place on Hamilton Square Road called Spigola Ristorante. Stephanie ordered the homemade ricotta filled ravioli in tomato sauce and Ranger ordered the shrimp and crab meat made with sautéed spinach, red onions and cured pancetta served with a light sherry wine sauce.

The food was delicious and they were enjoying each other so much, they lingered over coffee instead of rushing off to the carnival.

Finally, the sun was getting ready to set and Ranger reminded her that they should get going. "They should be turning all the lights on now," he said. I love it when all the rides and booths are lit up."

"Me too," Steph agreed. She had skipped dessert and hoped she had enough room in her stomach for elephant ears when they got there. Oh, who was she kidding? She'd make room.

They held hands as they walked through the carnival grounds, looking at the rides and the people. Ranger leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Mullet at three o'clock."

Stephanie glanced quickly and saw the man Ranger was referring to, then looked away quickly. She gave Ranger a light elbow to his side and laughed. "Shame on you, making fun of people," she said with a grin.

"Babe, the guy deserves it. There are some physical features a person can't help and a mullet isn't one of them. There's no excuse for that haircut."

That made Stephanie laugh louder, but before she could reply, Ranger said, "Babe! Come pick out the stuffed animal you want." He tugged her toward a booth with a shooting range.

"Ranger, you can't play a shooting game. You're a trained sharpshooter, it wouldn't be fair.

"Babe, please. These games are set up to be at a disadvantage to the people playing, it'll serve them right. Besides, do you see a sign that says no sharpshooters allowed?"

Steph snorted. "No, now that you mention it, I don't."

"I'll tell you what," Ranger said. "I'll give the guy fair warning. That work for you?"

"Sure," she agreed.

They waited in the short line and when it was Ranger's turn, he paid the man and then said, "I just wanted to let you know up front that I'm a trained sharpshooter."

"Riiight," the guy said, stuffing the five dollar bill in his pocket. "Everyone's an expert. Knock yourself out."

Ranger winked at Stephanie and gripped the rifle that was mounted on the counter. Leaning down to look through the scope he aimed at the bullseye that was moving from left to right and up and down in no particular pattern. He fired off his twenty shots and never missed.

"Christ!" said the guy behind the counter. "What the hell was that?"

"Sometimes I get lucky," Ranger told him. He turned to Steph and said, "Babe, what do you like?"

Stephanie looked over the selection. She really liked the blue alligator, but the dolphin was cute and so was the koala bear. Finally, her eyes landed on an adorable giraffe and she pointed to it. "That one, please. The giraffe."

The man grabbed the giraffe and tossed it to Ranger who handed it to Stephanie.

"Goodbye," the man hissed, indicating they were no longer welcome.

That made them both laugh and they walked away, hand in hand.

They rode the ferris wheel and a roller coaster and Stephanie ate some pink cotton candy. She tried to get Ranger to taste a bite but he paled at the thought. He did eat a couple bites of her elephant ear after he brushed off the powdered sugar.

For his next trick, Ranger dunked the poor person in the dunk tank nine straight times, much to the delight of a group of children standing nearby.

Stephanie picked out a stuffed monkey and a dolphin and told Ranger that was enough for one night. "My apartment isn't all that big, you know."

"You can keep the giraffe at my apartment if you want," he offered. "We can have joint critter custody."

"You're a funny, funny guy, tonight," she said with a laugh that turned into a yawn.

Ranger noticed and said, "Probably we should take the kids and head for home. Your place or mine?"

"You have the best sheets," she reminded him.

They headed for Ranger's car and he said, "I should get you some of those. You deserve to sleep on nice sheets all the time."

"I do love your sheets," she told him. "But as long as you're next to me, I'd sleep on a rubber air mattress," she confessed.

"Really?" Ranger said, excitedly. "Maybe I'll take you camping next weekend."

Stephanie frowned. "You shouldn't take everything so literally, Ranger."

He threw his head back and laughed. "I love you, Stephanie Plum."

"I'm pretty head over heels about you too, Ranger Manoso."


	14. Chapter 14

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 14 **

A little more than six weeks had gone by since Stephanie quit bounty hunting and took up dancing, swimming, biking and karate lessons. She'd now completed 19 sessions with Yashi and had to admit that she loved every minute of it. He was a great teacher and the way he took her through each step made them easy to learn and remember. He never got impatient with her and was always quick to praise her efforts and accomplishments.

Yashi could tell Stephanie enjoyed their time together and he loved teaching her. She was smart and determined and never gave up, even when she got frustrated. He could tell after just a month and a half of exercise and karate lessons, her body was becoming stronger and more toned, and the stretching exercises she was doing were making her more limber.

Ranger noticed too, but of course nothing escaped his notice. He was proud of her progress and determination and worked hard not to let his irritation show when she'd come into work on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays and relate stories and things that had happened at Yashi's house. Not that he was irritated that she was having a good time, it was just the initial excitement when she'd breeze into RangeMan energetic and glowing and the first few minutes were all Yashi said this and Yashi said that and Yashi did this or that. Sheesh. It was almost like she was coming home from a fun date and couldn't wait to tell him all about it.

He reminded himself that Stephanie was completely trustworthy, but that wasn't the issue, of course. It was Yashi he didn't trust and he was still not convinced that the man wasn't interested in Steph. One time, she had left her cell phone at Yashi's house, and when he dropped it off at RangeMan, Ranger just happened to see the two of them on the security monitor when she met him in the lobby. He had to force himself not to fly out of his chair and down the stairs when Yashi squeezed her shoulder and dropped a kiss on her head as he was getting ready to leave.

As he sat at his desk, ignoring the contracts in front of him, he groaned when he thought about the fact that she still had six weeks of training to go. Part of him knew his jealousy was unreasonable, but he didn't seem to be able to shut it down no matter how he tried. At least he was doing a good job of hiding it from Steph.

He stood up to stretch his legs, then walked down stairs and out through the garage. There was a flower shop just two buildings down from RangeMan and he had been going there once a week to send her flowers. The first time he sent them, he wasn't even sure if she was the sort of woman who liked getting flowers. But, her brilliant smile when she saw them and read the card, then threw her arms around him to thank him was all the encouragement he needed to keep up the ritual.

Each time he ordered them, he picked a different kind and thought of something new to write on the card. Today, he picked out a mixed bouquet and on the card he wrote, _I requested the most beautiful flowers available, but it seems none exist that can hold a candle to you._

He knew it sounded kind of sappy, but it was true. After more than three and a half years of knowing her, she could still take his breath away with a smile, especially when it was a smile meant just for him. She'd given him one of those smiles the week before when he informed her that his government contract had come up for renewal and he'd elected not to sign a new one.

He had thought it would be a difficult decision, but it turned out to be easy. He was walking away from a career that had been part of his life for so long and which had provided the funds for him to start RangeMan. But, though he was walking away from one thing, he was now one step closer to being able to offer Stephanie a relationship.

They celebrated by going away for the weekend and staying at The Haddonfield Inn, a small, elegant bed and breakfast hotel in historic Haddonfield, New Jersey. It was quaint and romantic and they were both a little sad when Sunday night came and they had to head back to Trenton.

Things at RangeMan were going great. One would likely never guess it, but Steph had a very organized mind when it came to paperwork and office tasks. She walked into Tank's office and asked if she could speak to him about payroll.

Tank, happier than a clam that she was there to take a bunch of work off their hands, was more than happy to listen. "Log into the payroll program you use," she told him.

Tank obliged and brought the program up on his screen, then looked at her for further instructions. She stood beside him and leaned down to point at various tabs on the screen. "This program is not efficient, at all," she told him. "You have to type in each employee name one at a time in the search bar to bring them up. Then, after you click to verify that you have the correct employee, you have to enter their hours for the week here," she said pointing. "And then their rate of pay here," she showed him, though he was already painfully aware of the steps. "And then click the dollar sign icon to calculate the pay for that week. Once you do that, you have to move on to the next employee and do it all again."

"Exactly," said Tank. "Why do you think I'm so happy that you've been doing it the past few weeks?"

"Well, if you'd use the payroll program that came with the business software Ranger bought last year, you would eliminate most of those steps. Plus it's much faster than the old system. The company paid a lot of money for that new software, but none of you have had the time to learn to use its best features. For payroll, I've already entered everyone and the names are listed alphabetically on one screen. The rate of pay for each employee is on the same screen, next to their name. You don't have to search for their name. You only have to bring up the screen, input the hours for each employee next to their name and then hit one button. It calculates them all at the same time in about ten seconds."

"I like the sound of that, Steph. But since you're doing it and not me, I'm not quite as happy as I would have been if I'd known about it last year," he teased her.

"Stephanie straighted up and looked at him. "Tank, someone besides me needs to learn this. I don't know how long I'm going to be working here, but while I'm here, I'm happy to set things up so that you'll save a lot of time on almost every task you've been performing."

She felt a tingle on the back of her neck and turned to see Ranger standing in the doorway. "Babe, I heard that. Are you leaving us so soon?"

He didn't want her to leave, ever. He loved having her there and so did his men. Bobby's old office was two doors down from Ranger's and had been sitting empty ever since they set up the new medical facilities on the third floor. Bobby didn't feel he needed an office on both floors and had moved all his stuff to his third floor office.

Ranger had asked Louis and Ella to do a makeover on the fifth floor office and Ranger had presented it to Steph after having a gold plate with her name on it made for the door. He loved having her just two doors away. They had lunch together on days Ranger was in the building. Sometimes they went out to Pino's or Shorty's or the diner where they first met. Other times they went up to the seventh floor and were late getting back to work because they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

He hated the thought she might take a job somewhere else and he wouldn't be able to see her as often. Of course, he didn't tell her that. He wanted her to be happy and he knew having the freedom to make her own choices was extremely important to her.

She smiled up at him. "No, I'll still be here for another six weeks, at least."

Ranger nodded. "Can I see you in my office when you're done here?" he asked.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked with a grin.

"No, but I can show you all the trouble you can handle," he told her with a smirk.

"Would you two just get a room?" Tank said. He wondered if they'd forgotten he was there. There was something about the two of them being in the same space that totally changed the atmosphere. It was like a force field of static electricity that fed off the sexual chemistry between the two of them. He was actually pretty sure the temperature in his office had gone up a few degrees.

"Take a chill pill, Tank," Ranger said as he walked away.

Tank and Steph exchanged a look and Stephanie let out a giggle. "Take a chill pill?" she repeated.

Tank nodded. "That, I believe, is your influence, little girl. Before the two of you got together, he'd bark at us guys to meet him on the mats if we said something he didn't like. Now he says things like take a chill pill or mellow out. Or, my personal favorite, cool your jets. He's still tough as nails when we go out on a take-down, but he's a lot nicer to be around in the office. I actually heard him telling Lester a joke the other day. He's still edgy enough to keep everyone in line and command respect, but I'm pretty sure it's a good thing he didn't renew his government contract."

Stephanie thought about that as she made her way to his office. She knocked softly before entering and as soon as he looked up and saw her, a grin broke out on his face. "Babe," he said, leaping up from his chair. "What took you so long?" he joked as he crossed the room and backed her against the door. He leaned into her for a kiss that went on and on. His hands were tangled in her hair and her arms were around his waist, holding him tightly against her.

They were both breathless when they broke the kiss and Ranger rested his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry I didn't get back in time for lunch today," he said softly.

"It's okay. I had lunch with Connie and Lula and we had a nice time. They said to tell you you're monopolizing too much of my time," she told him with a grin.

Ranger took her hand and pulled her over to his chair, then pulled her sideways onto his lap after he sat down. "Am I?" he asked.

"Of course not. I love every minute we're together."

"I do too," he said as he unbuttoned the top two buttons on her blouse. He leaned down, angled his head, and kissed the tops of her breasts above the edge of her bra. "Mmm, you taste so good."

Stephanie didn't want him to stop, but she knew they should. "You know your door isn't locked right?"

"I know," he said regretfully, refastening the buttons. I have work to do. I just wanted a little appetizer to hold me until tonight. Will you have dinner with me and stay over?"

They'd only spent one night apart since they'd make their "casual sex" agreement and that was because the guys had had a take-down that lasted until 2 am. By the time Ranger had wrapped things up with the police statements and gotten back to RangeMan it was almost 3 am. He'd thought about going to her apartment and crawling in bed with her, but decided it was too late to disturb her. He found out that night just how much he hated sleeping without her now that he had gotten used to having her there. He was more determined than ever that he would make his dream of having a relationship with her a reality.

"Try and stop me," she said with a cheeky grin.

He chuckled at her silliness, then cupped her face with his hands and kissed her thoroughly. Their tongues collided, each eager to claim their counterpart. Stephanie moaned softly. She was so happy, she felt like purring. She'd never get tired of being with him, having him touch her, kiss her, make love with her.

She wondered when it was going to occur to him that they were actually already in a relationship. He still talked about it as a future project he was planning and she just allowed him to keep planning, hiding her amusement whenever he brought it up.

The day he told her that he'd refused to sign a new contract with the government, he'd said, "Babe, our someday is getting closer." She'd kissed him for all she was worth and said, "I can't wait." She hoped she would be with him and get to see his face the exact moment it finally occurred to him that their someday had already begun.

They were completely in love, both hearts totally invested in the happiness of the other. She knew no one could predict the future, but she didn't need outside confirmation to know that they would always be together.

She slid from his lap and he walked her to the door. "We can go out for dinner, if you'd like," he offered.

"Nah," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I want you all to myself tonight, if that's okay with you."

Ranger bestowed his wolf grin on her. "Babe, I'm behind that idea one hundred percent. I'll meet you on seven at six o'clock."

Over the past several weeks, they'd been bowling, gone to the circus, went sailing, dancing twice, spent an evening at the carnival, had gone to see two movies, had gone out to dinner at least five times and had dinner with her family twice.

Stephanie was continuously learning about things Ranger liked to do that she'd previously had no idea about. Who knew he could bowl? It only made sense though, he was naturally good at everything.

She gave him a last kiss goodbye and left him to his work. When she got to her office, there was a huge bouquet of stunningly beautiful flowers on her desk in a large crystal vase. She read the card and felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Well, she actually was the luckiest woman in the world. Ranger Manoso loved her and wasn't afraid to show it.

She picked up her cell phone and sent him a text message. _Most gorgeous flowers, ever. Getting flowers from you makes me feel sexy. __I love you._

Ranger grinned when he read her message and texted her back. _You feel sexy because you are sexy. Sexiest woman in the world. I love you._

He clipped his phone to his belt and willed the clock to move faster. He couldn't wait to have her in his arms again.

Stephanie straightened up her desk, but didn't really feel like working any more. It was almost four o'clock and all she really wanted was for the clock to speed up. She needed to burn off some restless energy. She'd only gone for one bike ride this week, so she decided to head over to Yashi's house to get in another ride.

She went up to the seventh floor and changed into a t-shirt, pair of shorts and sneakers. She left a note on the kitchen counter for Ranger. _Went to get some exercise. See you at six. Love you._

XXX

She parked in Yashi's driveway and let herself in with her key. Passing through the kitchen, she dropped her purse on the counter, tucked the house key in the pocket of her shorts, then let herself out into the garage. She hit the button for the overhead door to open and wheeled out the bike she always used, then hit the button again and ducked out into the driveway.

It was a beautiful day for a bike ride. The worst of the summer heat was long gone, but the days were still sunny and warm. Hopping on the bike, she headed out on her usual course, turning right at the end of his driveway. She wound her way through the paved streets in his neighborhood. She'd ridden the same route so many times now, she recognized the houses and some of the cars and knew ahead of time when she'd be approaching a house with a barking dog in a fenced-in back yard.

XXX

Things at the bonds office were slow, so at four o'clock, Yashi told Connie and Lula to go ahead and leave early. He locked up the office and headed home. He couldn't wait to get out of his suit and starched white shirt and dive into the pool. Floating on his back on a rubber raft helped him to relax and center himself.

XXX

Just before five o'clock, Ranger's cell phone rang. He checked the readout and saw that it was Tank. "Yo," he said when flipped open the phone.

"Ranger, a 911 call just came across the police scanner. There was a shooting in Yashi's neighborhood and Stephanie's tracker shows up as being at his house. Can't be a coincidence."

"On it," Ranger barked out. "Find Bobby and tell him to meet me there." He snapped his phone shut and noticed his hand was shaking a bit when he clipped it back on his belt.

He rushed down the stairs, hopped into the turbo and tore out of the garage. His heart was racing and he couldn't imagine what could have happened to cause a shooting in one of safest neighborhoods in a twenty-five mile radius.

He drove as fast as he safely could and on the way, he called Tank. "Run another search on Yashi just to make sure we didn't miss anything the first time."

"Got it," Tank said. "You having a funny feeling about him?"

Ranger let out a sigh. "Hell, I don't know. I've never liked him, but that could just be because I hate him being around Steph. Just run the search and call me back." He snapped his phone shut and his tires squealed as he turned sharply into Yashi's neighborhood.

A/N - Sorry for the delay in posting. Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day/week/month. Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Kristine


	15. Chapter 15

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love **

**Chapter 15**

Ranger spotted Stephanie's car in Yashi's driveway, but there were no emergency vehicles and no visible signs of activity of any kind. His gut feeling told him to keep driving, but he was torn on what to do. If she was seriously injured inside the house and he didn't stop, it could be bad. If he ignored his gut feeling which had always served him well in the past, it could also turn out badly. He decided to go with his gut.

When he got to the first cross street, he looked both ways and saw emergency flashers about a quarter mile down to his right. He turned the turbo in that direction and pulled to the curb when he got to the scene. From this vantage point, he couldn't see Stephanie or what the problem was. There were too many vehicles blocking his view.

They were outside the Trenton city limits, so he was especially concerned. Stephanie had a lot of friends on the Trenton P.D. who liked her and looked out for her. He was pretty sure she didn't know anyone on the Mercer County Sheriff's Department. In addition to three Mercer County Sheriff cars, there was an ambulance, a New Jersey State Police cruiser, a Ford F-150 pickup truck, three cars of unknown origin or ownership, and Yashi's silver Mercedes.

He hurried through the maze of vehicles and when he came out on the other side, he saw a body on the ground, completely covered with a sheet, indicating the person was deceased. A woman was holding the hand of a little girl who was hiccuping back her tears while two sheriff deputies crouched beside her asking her questions. The girl's face was streaked from tears, her eyes puffy.

To Ranger's right, was Yashi, sitting on the curb, holding Stephanie on his lap, her face buried in his chest. His arms were around her and he was talking softly to her, leaning close to her ear. Ranger saw her nod her head, but it didn't look like she was verbally responding to whatever Yashi was saying to her.

Yashi looked up as Ranger neared them and gently nudged Stephanie, whispering to her again. This time Stephanie looked up. When she saw Ranger, she scrambled from Yashi's lap and leaped into his arms. As she jumped up toward him, Ranger saw the stress and worry on her face and when his arms went around her, she let loose with her tears, sobbing against his chest.

She flinched when he tightened his hold on her and he loosened it immediately, but she didn't let go of him. "Babe, are you hurt? Tell me what happened."

He knew it was too soon for her to speak. She needed to get the tears out and pull herself together a bit before she'd start talking. He softly told her that everything was going to be okay and gently rubbed her back.

He had a feeling her ribs were sore or cracked and he wanted to check her over for other injuries but she had a death grip on him that wasn't allowing him to look at much of her. Ranger looked at Yashi over her head.

Yashi pushed himself up from the curb and came over to stand a bit behind her. "I think she has a cracked rib and her arms and legs are scraped up from the asphalt. She has a big knot on her left knee. I'm not sure what else." He glanced over to the ambulance. "She won't let the EMTs touch her. She just kept saying she wanted you and Bobby. Do you know who Bobby is and how we can get a hold of him?"

"He's here now." Ranger nodded his head toward a large black man walking toward them, carrying a medical bag. "He's the medic at RangeMan and he's taken care of Steph before. She knows him and trusts him."

Ranger turned his attention back to Stephanie. "Babe, everything's going to be okay. I'm here and you know I'll take care of everything," he told her softly. "And Bobby is here too. Will you let him look at you?" he asked as his hands ran soothing circles over her back.

He felt her nod her head against his chest and noticed that she was getting her tears under control. She turned her head a bit just as Bobby got to them.

"Hey, Bomber. You okay? Let go of that big badass there and let me see you," he requested softly.

When she pulled away from Ranger a bit, they saw there were also scrapes on one side of her face. "I'm okay," she said, her voice a bit unsteady. "He ... he's dead," she choked out," pointing to the covered body." She grabbed her side when she sucked in a breath.

"Looks like you injured a rib," Bobby said. "Let me help you over to my truck and we'll get you checked out." He looked at Ranger who gave him a slight nod.

Bobby put an arm around her and as they walked away, Ranger turned to Yashi. "What the hell happened here?"

Just then, one of the sheriff deputies hurried over. "Hey, she can't leave yet. We're not done with her statement."

"She's not going anywhere," Ranger told him. "She's just getting checked over by my company medic."

"She works for you?" asked the sheriff. When Ranger nodded again, the deputy said, "Well, she's acquired some deadly skills," he said, shaking his head as he walked away.

"What happened?" Ranger ground out again, getting impatient for details.

Yashi blew out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "From what she said and I've pieced together, Steph was riding her bike and when she got to this point, she saw a man trying to force that little girl into his truck. The girl was yelling for help and saying that the man was a stranger.

Stephanie jumped off her bike and ran toward them and the man shoved the girl into the truck, then attacked Steph, getting her down on the ground, which I assume is how she got scraped up. She managed to get away from him and get up, but he got up too and pulled a gun. She used her karate to get in a kick and then he lunged toward her and that's when I pulled up."

Yashi paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "Then she jumped to the side and gave him an upward chop to his arm. Her ribs were already hurting by that point which I assume is why she didn't lift her arms and bring her hands downward. Anyway, she knocked the gun out of his hands and it went flying up a bit before hitting the ground. It went off and the bullet hit his throat, right under his chin."

"Christ," Ranger said, rubbing his hands over his face.

"She was really pretty calm for a few minutes after it happened. I think she knew she did what she had to do, but then the little girl climbed out of the truck and when she looked at the man on the ground and saw the blood everywhere, she started screaming _daddy, daddy_ and Steph lost it. She just started trembling and I think started to go into shock."

Yashi hurried to relieve Ranger's mind before he could even respond. "As it turns out, the man isn't her father. She was just upset and screaming because she wanted her daddy."

Ranger blew out a sigh of relief. "Jesus, what a mess."

"No shit. Stephanie started giving her statement to one of the deputies when they got here, but part way through, she just froze up and stopped talking. I don't know what happened really. It was as though she just couldn't get the rest of it out."

"Which is why you felt the need to hold her on your lap with your arms around her?" Ranger huffed out.

Yashi looked at him like he was crazy. "You're kidding, right? "You would rather I just let her stand here in the street and offer her no comfort?"

"I'd rather you find a way to comfort her without putting your hands all over her."

Yashi put his hands on his hips. "You're being an asshole, you know that, don't you? She didn't start crying until you got here."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ranger barked out, taking a step closer to Yashi.

Yashi rolled his eyes. "You need to buy a clue here, pal. It means, she did the best she could to hold herself together until she felt safe enough to let go. That didn't happen with me, it happened when _you_ got here and she was in _your_ arms, dumb ass. Don't muck up what you have with her by being a jealous jerk."

Ranger looked down at his feet and ran a hand through his hair, then he looked up at Yashi and started to say something, but Yashi cut him off.

"Forget it. Let's just drop the subject. Steph is what's important here. I tried to calm her down, but I didn't encourage her to finish her statement yet. I'm an attorney, but not a criminal attorney. Still, I didn't want her to rush into giving a statement to the police.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, but she may want to get some representation. I've heard bits and pieces of what's being said around here and it would probably be best if she hires a lawyer as soon as possible. If she can't afford one, I've got a lot of favors I can call in."

"Why would she need a lawyer?" Ranger wanted to know. If they were in Trenton right now, Stephanie would be a hero and there would be no talk of her needing a lawyer.

"She may not, but I overheard things like manslaughter and excessive force so I just want her to be prepared. Of course, the cops where just chatting among themselves and they won't be the ones that make that decision, the district attorney will, and I don't think this will go any further. She probably saved that little girl's life." He nodded toward the dead body. "If that guy has any kind of record at all, the DA isn't going to look twice at Stephanie."

Ranger shook his head. "In what screwed up world would she be charged for saving a girl's life?"

"I don't think she will. I'm not even sure the cops think she will or should be. They were just chatting and discussing possibilities among themselves, not in an official capacity. It was just talk. Still, it can't hurt for her to have counsel."

Ranger nodded. "I have Graham, Weissman and Reynolds on retainer. You know of them?"

"Actually, yes," Yashi said. "Well, I know Darryl Graham really well. I went to school with him. I've met Rick Weissman a few times, but only know Reynolds by reputation. It's a good firm. Darryl is like me though, his specialty is corporate law. You'll want to contact Rick Weissman. They also have about 20 other attorneys on staff and will hook you up with the best one for this kind of case. Hang on," he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Let me make a call for you."

As Yahsi was punching numbers on his phone, Ranger said, "I'm going to go check on Steph."

Ranger walked the short distance to Bobby's truck and found him cleaning and putting ointment on the last of the scrapes. He'd already taped her ribs. He climbed out of the truck so Ranger could climb in.

"You okay, Babe?" he asked, taking her hand and leaning in to kiss her forehead.

Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying, her hair was a tangled mess and she looked exhausted. "Yeah," she said quietly. I just want to get out of here."

Ranger was still holding her hand and brought it to rest on his thigh. "Steph, you still need to finish your statement. Yashi thinks you should have representation though. We can request that you complete your statement at the Sheriff's Department if you'd like."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed as she frowned. "Why does Yashi think I need representation? I didn't do anything wrong."

"I know, Babe. You did great. I'm proud of you. Yashi would just rather be safe than sorry. A man is dead and he wants to make sure everything is wrapped up without any glitches. He's calling some attorneys he knows right now."

"Yashi's a lawyer. Doesn't he want to go with me?"

"I'm sure he would, Babe, but he's not a criminal attorney."

"And I'm not a criminal," Steph said, raising her voice in a bit of panic."

Before Ranger could reply, Yashi appeared at the open door of the truck. "Sorry to interrupt. Steph, what do you think about finishing your statement at the Sheriff's office?"

She looked from Yashi to Ranger and wondered if they'd already discussed this and if they knew something she didn't know. "Ranger just asked me the same thing. Is something wrong, Yashi? Just tell me if there is."

"As far as I know, everything is fine," Yashi told her. "I just don't want to take any chances. An attorney I know, Rick Weissman, can meet you at the Sheriff's office in thirty minutes. I just need to call him back and confirm, if that's what you want to do."

"Babe," Ranger spoke up. "Mr. Weissman is an attorney for RangeMan, too. He's a good lawyer and you'll like him."

"Will you come with us?" she asked Yashi.

Yashi started to look at Ranger then changed his mind. Screw that. Stephanie was his friend and if she wanted him there, then he'd be there. "You betcha, Steph."

Yashi moved out of the way as Ranger moved to get out of the truck. He helped Stephanie out, then turned to Yashi and said, "We'll meet you there."

"Wait," Stephanie said. "Yashi, my purse is on your kitchen counter. I need it."

"Not a problem," he told her. "I'll stop and get it and bring it with me." He ruffled her hair and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll go tell these deputies that I'm representing you for now and that you'll finish your statement at the office," he told her before walking away.

Stephanie blew out a sigh.

"You okay, Steph?"

"Yeah, I guess. She grabbed a lock of her hair and said, "I really wanted my purse now so I could comb my hair and fix my makeup a bit on our way over there."

"Not a problem, Babe. We have to walk right past Yashi on the way to the turbo. I'll tell him that we'll get your purse. You have a key right?"

Steph checked her pocket to make sure the key was still there and nodded.

Bobby gave her a hug goodbye and he and Ranger did one of their neat handshake thingies. "Call me any time tonight if you feel out of sorts, Bomber," he told her before walking away.

On the way to the Sheriff's Department, Ranger's cell phone rang and it was Tank. "Yo," Ranger answered.

"Yo, Rangeman. I ran a second search on Yashi and it's as squeaky clean as the first one. There's just nothing there, man. I think you're just going to have to accept the fact that he's a heck of a good guy."

Ranger refrained from rolling his eyes, thanked Tank, and snapped his phone shut.

XXX

Two and a half hours later, Stephanie and Ranger were finally on their way home from the Sheriff's Department. Even though she'd already given part of her statement, Steph had been forced to tell the entire sequence of events from the beginning, twice, once each to two different deputies. Then there were dozens of follow-up questions, of course.

Ranger looked over and saw that her eyelids were getting heavy. He picked up her hand and placed it on his thigh again. "You no doubt saved that little girl's life, Steph. You saved her from a lot of trauma at the very least. That asshole was a two time felon and on the registered sex offender's list. He won't be hurting any more little girls."

"I didn't mean for him to get killed," she said quietly. "But I can't say I'm sorry he's gone."

Ranger squeezed her hand. "Just remember that he brought this on himself. He's the only one to blame."

"Okay," Steph murmured as she drifted off to sleep.

It was a little past 9:00 pm and Ranger knew she'd missed dinner. They both had. He let go of her hand long enough to call Ella and ask her to have some hot soup ready when they got to Haywood.

After eating some chicken and vegetable soup and warm biscuits with butter, they showered together and crawled into bed. Stephanie was out instantly while Ranger stared at the ceiling for a while. He thought back to Yashi telling him not to ruin what he had with Steph by being jealous.

He didn't want to be jealous and he certainly didn't want to ruin what he and Stephanie had together. They were closer than ever to being able to have their 'someday' and he couldn't bear the thought of screwing things up now. He needed to work on that. He turned his head to look at her beautiful face. Even the scrapes from the asphalt couldn't diminish her beauty in his eyes. "I love you, Stephanie," he whispered.

Sometime during the night, Ranger woke when he realized Stephanie was thrashing around as though she were in a fight. He leaned toward her, attempting to catch her flailing arms. "Babe," wake up. You're dreaming."

"Yashi?" she whimpered. "Yashi?"

Ranger's heart skipped a beat. Dios! She was calling for Yashi and not him. A knot formed in his stomach. "Babe!" he said a little louder. "Wake up, you're dreaming."

When Stephanie opened her eyes, Ranger was leaning over her, holding her wrists. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide. "Let go of me."

Ranger released her wrists and brushed her hair back from her face. "You were dreaming, Babe, like you were in a fight."

"Oh yeah. I was dreaming about what happened today," she sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Babe, why didn't you call for me? You were asking for Yashi." He tried to keep the accusation out of his voice, but wasn't quite sure he succeeded.

"What?" She pushed herself up so that she was leaning back against the headboard and winced at the discomfort in her ribs. "Ranger, I was calling for Yashi because he was in my dream. He pulled up when I was fighting the guy. Geeze, you sound jealous."

Christ, he'd done it again. He pushed himself up so that he was propped up next to her. "I'm sorry, Babe. I didn't mean to upset you. I guess I just always want to be the one to be there for you when you need someone."

Stephanie turned to look at him and gave him an eye roll. "Even Batman can't be everywhere at once. Yashi may have shown up before you today, but you're the one I want to be there for me for all time, Ranger."

He gave her his 200 watt grin. "Babe, I swear. I'm going to get that etched on my brain so I don't forget again."

She started laughing and grabbed her side again. "Man, that hurts."

Ranger jumped up from the bed. Bobby left some pain pills for you on the counter. I'll get you one."

Steph groaned, admiring his naked body as he left the room to get the pill. He was the sexiest thing on earth. Her ribs better hurry and heal because the rest of her body was going to get impatient.

He was back quickly, handing her the pain medicine and bottle of water. She downed the pill quickly and washed it down, then handed the bottle to Ranger to set on the night stand so she didn't have to stretch. "Thank you."

They snuggled back down under the covers with her back to his front. Ranger normally slept with an arm around her middle, but he didn't want to take the chance of hurting her ribs.

As she was drifting off, Ranger asked, "Babe? What's your favorite song?"

"Hmm?" she said groggily. "Umm, is there a song called "I Love Ranger More than Anything?"

He chuckled and kissed her hair. "I don't think so, Babe."

"Mmm, too bad. When someone writes that song, it'll be my favorite."

Ranger let out a contented sigh. "Night, Babe. Love you."

"Love you," she repeated, then was out like a light.

**A/N - Thank you all again for following my story and for the great reviews. You ladies are the greatest! **


	16. Chapter 16

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 16**

Four days after the shooting incident, Ranger was sitting at his desk when his phone buzzed. "Manoso," he answered.

"There's a call for you on line one, Ranger. A man named DeCamp."

"Got it," Ranger said, pressing the button for line one. "Manoso," he repeated.

"Mr. Manoso, this is Jack DeCamp. I'm the father of, Emily, the little girl one of your employees, Miss Plum, rescued the other day."

"How is she?" Ranger asked. "That was a pretty traumatic thing for her to go through."

"I think she's going to be okay," the man told him. The first two nights, she had nightmares, and the following two days she stayed glued to either my side or my wife's, but today she almost seems like her old self. She was willing to leave the house with us today for a Happy Meal," he said with a chuckle. "I guess it's true that kids are pretty resilient."

"I'm glad to hear it. What can I do for you?"

"My wife and I want to hold a little event or dinner party or something along those lines for Miss Plum, and present her with a plaque and a gift or gift card. She's a true hero to us. The police department holds a banquet every year and does something similar, but we don't want to wait to see if they will choose to recognize her. Plus, we want to do it personally. We want to invite two of Emily's aunts and uncles and three of her cousins. We would like Miss Plum to invite whatever friends and family members she'd like to have there. Do you think she'd be open to it?"

"I'm not sure. Steph really isn't the type that likes the limelight, but I think it's nice that you and your wife want to do something for her. I think doing it in a public place would make her uncomfortable though."

"It wouldn't be a problem for us to rent a private hall," he told Ranger.

"I'll tell you what," Ranger said. "I have a room here in my building that we've used in the past for banquets and receptions. You're welcome to hold it here."

There was a pause on the other end, then the man said, "If you're sure. Actually, yes, that sounds like a good idea. Where else would she be more comfortable than her own place of employment? And this way, she can have all her co-workers there too. They'd all be welcome to join us. I just need a count so my wife can let the caterer know and we need to pick a date."

Ranger was another ten minutes on the phone with him working out the date and details. When he hung up, he dialed the extension for Rodriguez. "I need you to run a search on a Jack DeCamp. He's local."

"I'll get it to you as soon as it's done," Rodriguez told him.

XXX

Stephanie was in the break room, searching the cupboards for the least offensive looking granola bar and finally found one that promised it had miniature chocolate chips in it. She wondered how it got past Ranger's built-in chocolate detector.

Lester came in to get a bottle of water and flashed her his playboy grin. "Hey, Beautiful. How are the ribs today?"

"Better," she told him. "A little tender, but not like the first three days. Thankfully they were just bruised and not cracked. Rib injuries are the worst."

"I hear ya," he agreed, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "I cracked four of mine at one time on a take-down in Newark a couple years ago. Hurt like a motherfacker."

He paused to guzzle some of his water. "How are things going with you and Ranger? I can't tell you how nice it is to finally see you two in a relationship."

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down!" Steph said. She rushed over to the doorway and look up and down the hallway. Thankfully, the coast was clear.

Lester laughed out loud at her frantic actions. "What's that about? If it's supposed to be a secret, you guys aren't doing a very good job of hiding it. We see him kiss you three or four times a day and the flowers just keep on coming."

Stephanie closed the break room door. "It's only a secret to Ranger," she said with a giggle.

"Huh? I'm not following you."

Stephanie sat down at the table a tore the wrapper off her granola bar. "He doesn't think we're in a relationship. He's still not ready for one."

Lester frowned and pulled out a chair across from her. "Explain. If he doesn't think it's a relationship, what does he think it is?"

Stephanie shook her head and laughed again. "I'm not sure. I guess he thinks it's some kind of preliminary arrangement leading up to a relationship. He still thinks it's too dangerous."

Lester barked out a laugh. "Are you shitting me? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day. What a nut job."

"Lester!" She smacked him lightly across his arm. "Don't say that. He's not a nut job. I think his mind is focused on a certain path that this thing is going to take and until we get to the end of his plan, it is _not_ a relationship and I'd thank you not to use that word in front of him."

Lester couldn't contain his laughter. "So this is just a pre-relationship, I guess. Hard to believe that not that long ago, he was lauded as being one of the most brilliant military strategists of the decade. Shows what love can do to a man's brain," he teased.

Stephanie joined in his laughter. "He's so cute, isn't he?"

Lester barked out another laugh. "Cute?"

The door opened and Ranger walked in. He smiled when he saw the two of them laughing together. His men loved Stephanie, and Lester was one of her biggest fans. The two of them had fallen into an easy friendship from the first time they met.

"What's so funny?" he asked them as he walked over to kiss the top of Steph's head.

Stephanie looked helplessly at Lester for some kind of help.

"Ah, what's funny is that Stephanie lost a bet to me and now she has to eat a granola bar," Lester said, making the story up on the fly.

Stephanie held up the granola bar and said, "The good news is, I found one with chocolate chips. Not sure how this one slipped by you, Batman."

Ranger grinned. "They contain unsweetened chocolate chips, Babe. Give it a try anyway, since you lost a bet."

Stephanie glared at the granola bar. "What the heck is the point in making something with unsweetened chocolate chips? It should be illegal. These stupid granola bars are already sugar free."

Lester and Ranger laughed at the grimace on her face.

"Come on, Beautiful. I won, fair and square, now eat up."

Stephanie took a small bite from the end of the bar and shrugged her shoulders. "I've had worse."

"Babe, when you're done here, can I see you in my office?"

"Sure. Right behind you," she told him, pushing her chair back from the table. "Sorry, Lester. I'll have to finish this later. The boss needs me."

"Riiight," Lester said. "How much later?"

"Probably some time next year," she told him with a giggle.

Ranger walked out of the room ahead of her and she tossed the granola bar in the trash. "That tastes terrible," she told Les. "Oh, and remember, shhhh," she said, holding a finger to her lips.

Lester pulled a pretend zipper closed across his lips. "Talk to you later, Beautiful," he said as she walked out the door.

When she walked into Ranger's office, he held his arms open and she went to sit on his lap. He was careful not to bump her ribs when he cuddled her to him. He pressed his face to her hair and said, "Babe, you smell like sweetened lemons today."

"You like?" she asked him, pretending to be coy.

His brown eyes were all soft and melty when he looked at her. "I like everything about you, Steph. As soon as your ribs are better, I'll show you."

She moaned as he nuzzled her neck. "Mmm, I need a miracle cure." She drew his face away from her neck and kissed him. "My lips need you more right now than my neck does."

"Happy to oblige," he growled against her lips, plunging his tongue into her mouth. After a long kiss, he began scattering kisses along her jaw, then started down the side of her neck again when they were interrupted by the phone.

"Shit," Ranger said, leaning forward to pick up the receiver. "Manoso," he barked out.

"This is Rodriguez. I finished up the search on Jack DeCamp. Just wanted to let you know that nothing of interest came back on him. You want to pick it up here or do you want me to drop it off in your office?"

"Bring it to my office before you leave for the day," Ranger instructed him."

After he hung up, Ranger told Stephanie about the call from Jack DeCamp and what he and his wife wanted to do.

Stephanie groaned. "That is all so unnecessary," she said. "I don't want or need to be rewarded for doing the right thing, Ranger."

"I know, Babe, but I think they have their hearts set on this. His wife is all excited and already has the menu planned."

Steph snuggled back into Ranger chest. "Alright, I guess. Did he say how their daughter is doing?"

"Yes, her name is Emily and she's doing much better. She was clingy for a couple days, but wanted to go out to McDonald's today and Jack apparently took that as a good sign."

"So when is this thing, Ranger?"

"The 13th. That gives you nine days to shop for a new dress and shoes. Hopefully your ribs will be much better. I'll let the guys know at the morning meeting. You want them there, right?"

"Yes, absolutely." Stephanie took a play from Ranger's book and began placing hot, moist kisses along his jawline.

"How about your family and Connie and ... and ... " Then he groaned. "Babe, I can't think when you're doing that."

That caused her to snicker. "You mean Lula? Nah, I think with the DeCamps and their relatives and you and I and the guys and Yashi, that'll be enough."

Ranger didn't even flinch when she said Yashi's name. At least not outwardly. That was an improvement. "He said RangeMan employees are welcome to bring their spouses or dates, Babe."

"Good grief, this is going to be like a big deal. I guess I'll go ahead and tell Connie and Mary Lou and Lenny. I'm sure Tank will take care of inviting Lula. I can't believe they're doing this. It's going to get expensive."

"Babe, they live in Yashi's neighborhood. There's not a house there that sells for less than a million five. He kind of hinted that throwing parties is his wife's favorite hobby."

"Alrighty then. I'll stop worrying about it and just plan to have fun. It'll be nice to get together with everyone and enjoy good food and good company."

Ranger gave her a gentle hug. "That's the spirit. Speaking of good food and good company, will you go out to dinner with me this evening and then stay over here?"

Stephanie had to stifle a laugh. She covered her mouth with her hand, pretending it was an aborted sneeze. He still asked her to dinner and to spend the night as though there was a possibility she'd say no. "Sounds wonderful," she told him with a smile. Gosh she loved him. He was the most precious man ever, she thought.

"Good, because I have a surprise for you," he told her.

"Ooh, what is it?"

Ranger groaned. "I can't believe I told you that ahead of time. I know better," he said, laughing when she made a face at him. "Forget I said anything because my lips are sealed."

XXX

Ranger took her to a small French restaurant and as usual, they had a wonderful time. The food was outstanding and the wine was perfect. They held hands while lingering over coffee and fed each other bites of the tarte au flan they ordered for dessert.

When they got back to Ranger's apartment, he grabbed a bag he had ready with a blanket and cushions and a portable CD player. He led her up to the roof and spread the blanket out in the corner. They sat down on the cushions facing each other and then he pulled out the CD player.

"Oh, music. Nice," Stephanie told him.

"That remains to be seen," he told her, biting his lip.

Stephanie frowned. "Well certainly you picked out a CD that you like, right?"

"Babe, you remember I told you that I'd sing for you?"

Stephanie's face lit up. "Yes! Oh my god, you recorded me a song?"

Ranger chuckled at her excitement. "Not exactly. I just have a recording of the music. I'm going to sing for you live. If you ever tell anyone, you'll end up becoming the subject one of those top secret files I can't talk about," he teased her.

"I promise! Oh hurry, I can't wait." She couldn't remember the last time she was this excited. She never thought he'd actually go through with singing to her.

Ranger cleared his throat and then pushed the button on the CD player and started to sing, looking into her eyes the whole time.

**(If you'd like to listen to Ranger sing to Steph, go to Youtube and paste this into the search:** TOMMY ROE- "BABY I LOVE YOU" ( W / LYRICS) - **trust me, you won't be sorry)**

Have I ever told you  
How good it feels to hold you  
It isn't easy to explain

And though I'm really trying  
I think I may start crying  
My heart can't wait another day  
When you touch me I just got to say

Baby I love you  
Baby I love you  
Baby I love you  
Come on baby na na na na na  
Come on baby na na na na na

I can't live without you  
I love everything about you  
I can't help it if I feel this way

Oh I'm so glad I found you  
I want my arms around you  
I love to hear you call my name  
Tell me baby that you feel the same.

Baby I love you  
Baby I love you  
Baby I love you  
Come on baby na na na na na  
Come on baby na na na na na

My heart can't wait another day  
When you touch me I just got to say

Baby I love you  
Baby I love you

The music faded out and for a good minute they were both completely still as they gazed into each other's eyes. Stephanie was the first to move as she rose up on her knees and inched forward until she was between his legs. There was a lump in her throat and happy tears were stinging her eyes as she reached out and place a hand on his cheek. "Ranger," she breathed. "That was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." She wrapped her arms around his neck and he slid his arms around her waist to hold her close.

"I'm glad you liked it, Babe. I love you, Stephanie."

"I love you too, Ranger. And you'll never again have to ask me my favorite song. Nothing could ever, ever top that."

They kissed for a long time, then Stephanie turned with her back to him and settled between his legs so they could talk.

"Babe, have you thought about what you want to do if you're not going to return to bounty hunting and you're not going to work at RangeMan?"

"I haven't settled on anything yet, but I've been tossing some ideas around in my head."

"Like what?" he asked, playing with her soft curls.

"Something safer," she told him. "Like a prison guard, or firefighter or New York City cab driver," she finished with a giggle.

"Oh you're hysterical," Ranger said with a laugh. "I know you'll be successful at whatever you choose, but I want you to know you're always welcome at RangeMan, Babe."

"Thank you. Speaking of RangeMan, how hard would it be to block off the stairs and elevator on the first floor so people couldn't wander up to the other levels?"

Ranger shrugged. "I've seen it done with a few other buildings. I don't imagine it would be too difficult, why?

"Hector has a catalog that he orders equipment from and I was looking through it the other day. I started thinking that you should open a couple stores on the first floor. It's just sitting there empty and it could be bringing in income. Well, if you can guarantee the security of the rest of the building."

"What kind of stores, Babe? A Victoria's Secret would be my first choice."

Stephanie tilted her head back to see him wriggling his eyebrows at her. "No, silly. I'm serious. RangeMan customers are security and safety conscious, right? You could sell smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, those rope ladders that are used to climb down from the second story of a house during a fire, child safety locks, pad locks and combination locks, dead bolts, safety chains and latches, baby monitors, security cameras, nanny cams, flood lights, emergency generators, battery chargers ... stuff like that. Also, not everyone out there is going to pay for monthly security monitoring, so for those people, you can offer unmonitored door alarms."

She paused to catch her breath. Across the hallway you could have a sort of Army Navy surplus store along with items like survival kits, emergency food supplies, first aid kits, bottled water, emergency candles, insulated clothing, whatever. Well, you get the drift."

"Wow!" Ranger said. "You've really thought this thing through, haven't you? I think it's a great idea, but I don't think this building is zoned for retail sales."

When Stephanie's shoulders slumped, he said, "I do think it's something we should consider, though. The store wouldn't have to be here in the building. There's a new strip mall in Hamilton Township that's nearing completion. I think that would be a good place for a store. And, we could combine the two and put the security products in half the store and the Army Navy surplus in the other half."

Stephanie's face lit up. "You're serious?"

"Sure, Babe. There's not a guy on our staff that wouldn't love to help out in a store like that. They live for that kind of stuff. If you don't already have a name for it, we could call it RangeMan Security and Supplies. We could have someone on the premises at all times that can deal with customers looking for monitored security services in addition to sales people and a cashier. Who would order the inventory, Babe?"

"That would be me, Ranger. I have a business degree and experience as a buyer. I know it was lingerie, but I still think I could do this. I like that kind of work."

Hearing that, Ranger was more interested than ever. He badly wanted Stephanie to remain part of the company in some capacity. "We can bring it up at the next meeting and see what the guys think," he told her.

"I can't wait," she said excitedly, snuggling back into his arms.

XXX

Yashi parked behind the bonds office and let himself in the back door. He knew the workers would be there in the morning to put down the new carpeting and he wanted to check and make sure the work crew he hired had done everything he asked.

The couch in the front office had been hauled away, as had the old plastic chairs that sat near the front window. Everything was clean and the walls were freshly painted and looked great.

He unlocked his office and looked around to see what else needed to be done. He pushed the two metal filing cabinets into the restroom so they would be out of the way. Next, he pushed his desk forward a few feet and knelt down examining the brass handle that opened a trap door in the floor.

He reached up and unlocked his desk drawer, grabbing a penlight flashlight and his Glock. He tucked the gun into the waistband at the back of his pants, opened the trap door and descended the wooden steps.

He could hear the sound of metal scraping against metal. When he got to the bottom, he quickly crossed the room and pulled the gag from Vinnie's mouth.

"It's about fucking time you showed up," Vinnie ground out. "Where the fuck have you been?"

A/N - Thanks for following along and for the great reviews. I hope you liked this chaper.

"**Baby, I Love You**" was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, and originally recorded in 1963 by The Ronettes.


	17. Chapter 17

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_When he got to the bottom, he quickly crossed the room and pulled the gag from Vinnie's mouth._

"It's about fucking time you showed up," Vinnie ground out. "Where the fuck have you been?"

**Chapter 17**

Shock registered on Yashi's face as he let out a gasp. "What are you doing down here? Who did this to you? How was I supposed to know you were down here?"

"Christ!" Vinnie spat out. "When I first moved into this building, it took me two hours to discover that trap door. It took you what, six or seven weeks? What day is this? And stop shining that damn flashlight in my eyes, you're gonna blind me!"

Yashi blinked and lowered the penlight. "Well, the important thing is, I found you. Are you okay? I'll go find a key or something to open those handcuffs and get you out of here."

"Get me out of here? What, are you fucking crazy? I can't leave."

Yashi was more confused than ever. Certainly Vinnie wasn't thinking clearly if he didn't want to be released. "Okay, hang on," he said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. "I'll call the police."

"The police! No! You can't tell anyone I'm down here. Got that? No one. Well, maybe Stephanie. I've been trying to figure out a way she can help me, but I don't have the details worked out."

Yashi frowned and rubbed his forehead. He looked around the room for the first time. There were two small desks, each holding a computer and monitor, some three drawer metal filing cabinets, and one wall had several cardboard boxes and wooden crates lining it. In one corner was a rough wood enclosure with a toilet and sink. It had an uneven, makeshift plywood half-door that was hanging open.

Each desk had a wooden chair. Yashi walked over and pulled both of them over by Vinnie. He reached down to start to help Vinnie up to his feet, then paused. "Are your chains long enough to allow you to get up enough to sit in the chair?"

"I think so," Vinnie said, with little enthusiasm. "Are we going to sit around and chit-chat because I was hoping you'd go get me some decent food. If I have to eat one more bag of cold McDonald's crap I'm going to shoot myself."

After helping Vinnie into a chair, Yashi sat in the other. "You have a gun?" Yashi asked.

"Of course I don't have a gun. It was a figure of speech. Geeze."

Yashi took a deep breath to try to keep his exasperation under control. "Answer a few questions for me and I'll go get you any kind of food you want."

"Fine, whatever," Vinnie answered with a whiny tone. "Just hurry up, they'll be back between one and two AM."

"Okay, let's start there," Yashi said. Who will be back at one or two AM?"

"Harry's henchmen. They stop by every night to let me go to the bathroom and bring me food. Cold food. After I eat, they lock me back up and leave."

"And who is Harry?"

"My father-in-law. Harry the Hammer."

Yashi frowned. "What, he's a UFC fighter or something? WWE?"

That made Vinnie dissolve in a fit of laughter. "No, dumb ass. He's Trenton mob."

Yashi smacked his forehead and his eyes grew wide. "Christ, you're involved with the mob?"

"No, I'm not involved with the mob. Well, not really. Uh, not exactly. I had a brain freeze several years ago and married his daughter. My life has been hell ever since."

"So, your wife's father, Harry the Hammer, had you locked up down here. Why?"

Vinnie groaned. "Punishment. Number one, he's pissed off at me for selling this place. He keeps a lot of shit down here that he would never want found in his home office if the police went in with a warrant. Number two, my wife, Lucille, caught me in a small indiscretion involving two cocktail waitresses, a couple of acrobats, a clown and a chimpanzee. The bitch told her father. Number three, Harry got some heat put on him to pay off a gambling debt I ran up with some Atlantic City bookies.

"He told me I could die at the hands of the goons the bookies sent after me or take a bullet from one of his own goons or spend 90 days locked up down here." When he got done speaking, Vinnie shrugged as though people have these kinds of problems every day.

"Good God," Yashi said. "And I thought New York was a scary place to live. How long have you been down here?"

"Since the day, well night, you took over the business. So, what's that, about six weeks now?"

Yashi was stunned all over again. "Why didn't you make some noise or something so I'd know you were down here?"

"Number one, this room has been soundproofed. Number two, I have a gag in my mouth when the goons aren't here and number three, with my luck, I'd have made some noise only to find Lula's fat ass barreling down the steps and then telling the whole world I was down here. You gonna get me some food or what? It's getting late."

"Yes, I'll go get you some food, but we need to talk some more when I get back. You can't stay down here for another seven weeks. We'll have to figure something out. Why were you wanting to talk to Stephanie? What can she do?"

"Not sure if she can do anything or not, but Harry likes her and since she's blood, she'll keep her mouth shut."

"Stephanie is related to Harry the Hammer?" Yashi asked, becoming more astounded by the minute.

"No, she's related to me. We're cousins." Vinnie told him, rolling his eyes.

Yashi wasn't sure which was worse. It kind of seemed like the same thing at the moment. "Okay, what kind of food do you want? Let's get that out of the way first."

"Anything that's hot and not from McDonald's. Chinese, Mexican, something from the diner if it's still open. Whatever. I'll have to pay you back later. I don't exactly have access to my wallet."

"Where does your wife think you are right now?" Yashi was curious.

"Harry told her he was sending me out of town to take care of some business for him and that I'd be out of contact for a few weeks. Then he sent her on a three month cruise with her aunt."

Yashi stood up and headed for the steps. "This is like _The Sopranos_ meet _Days of Our Lives _or something," he said, shaking his head. When he got back up to his office, he took his gun out of his waistband and locked it back in the drawer. He didn't have a permit to carry concealed yet, and he didn't want to take any chances in case he got pulled over or something. He also dug around and found a handcuff key which he stuck in his pocket.

He drove past the diner, but it closed at 9 pm and it was 9:15. He got to Cluck-in-a-Bucket and saw that the drive-thru was still open. He ordered a small bucket of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, two side vegetables, water and a large cola. He hoped Vinnie wouldn't complain.

He was back at the bonds office and was setting out the food for Vinnie by 9:35. "Probably not your favorite," Yashi said. "Tomorrow night I'll plan ahead and bring you something better."

He unlocked the cuffs and dropped them on one of the desks with the key.

"No problem. This is way better than six straight weeks of cold burgers and fries," Vinnie said, digging in.

"Let's talk some more before it gets any later," Yashi said, setting back in the chair he'd used earlier. "Why do you think Stephanie can help you with this?"

Vinnie had a mouth full of food and held up a finger indicating Yashi needed to wait until he swallowed before he could answer. Finally, he said, "I actually need Ranger's help, but I can't ask him. He has a reputation to maintain with his security business so he hates dealing with Harry. And, he's probably pretty pissed off at me. For years now, I've promised him that if I ever sold the business, I'd sell it to him. I'm sure he's not happy with me. However, if Steph asks him to help, he will. Love struck fool will do anything she asks."

Yashi raised his eyebrows. "You know they're in love?"

"Vinnie barked out a laugh. "Everyone knows except them."

"They're together now," Yashi informed him with a smile.

Vinnie's eyes widened in surprise. "No shit? About time, and even better for me. He'll help her for sure."

Yashi looked at his watch. It's not quite ten o'clock so we have over three hours. Why don't I get her over here now and get things rolling? I don't want you down here any longer than necessary and I'm not comfortable being involved with any of this."

"Sure, whatever," Vinnie said, wiping gravy from his chin. "Remind her to keep her yap shut."

Yashi stood and headed back toward the steps. "I'll call her from my office and you can finish eating your food."

Vinnie had just bitten into a juicy chicken thigh so he just nodded his head.

Yashi sat at his desk and took out his phone. He opened and closed it twice. He hated like hell to get Stephanie involved in this, but if everything Vinnie said was true, it sounded like she was the one person who could help resolve this crazy situation.

He opened his phone again and called her cell.

Stephanie and Ranger were cuddled up on the couch in his seventh floor apartment. They were supposed to be watching a movie, but Stephanie was having trouble paying attention to it. Not only was Ranger distracting her every few minutes with tender kisses on her neck and throat, she was still basking in the glow that had come over her from listening to him sing to her.

She jumped a bit when her cell phone rang. Ranger released her from his arms so she could get up. "Who the heck would be calling me at ten o'clock?" she mumbled as she made her way to the kitchen to get her phone from her purse.

She looked at the screen and saw that it was Yashi. "Hey," she said by way of greeting. No reason to say his name out loud with Ranger in the next room.

"Hey Steph. I need a favor."

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

"Well, I'm okay, but there is a problem. I'm afraid I'm going to need to be vague until I speak to you in person."

"Okay, tell me what you can."

"I know it's getting late, but I need you to come over to the bonds office and I need you to not tell anyone where you're going or that it was me who called."

Stephanie felt the frown lines appear on her forehead and hesitated.

"Stephanie, do you trust me?" Yashi asked.

"Yes, of course I do. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thanks, you're the greatest. I'll explain everything when you get here. You should be home in an hour, I would think. Park behind the office and I'll be at the back door to let you in."

"Okay, see you soon." She closed her phone and dropped it back in her bag. She trusted Yashi, for sure, it was Ranger who wasn't going to be happy when she told him she was leaving with little or no explanation.

She slid her feet into her shoes and put her bag over her shoulder. She headed back into the living room and almost ran smack into Ranger when she went around the corner.

He grabbed her shoulders to steady her. "Sorry, Babe. Didn't mean to run you over. Everything okay? Who was calling so late?"

"I have to go help out a friend, Ranger, but I'll be back in an hour or so."

Ranger didn't bother to ask which friend, it was obvious she didn't want to say. "Babe, would you like me to drive you? I'd be happy to go with you."

"No, but thanks for offering, Batman." She stood on her tip-toes and planted a kiss on his mouth. "I'll be back soon."

As the door closed behind her, Ranger didn't need an explanation or tracker or anything else to know that she was going to see Yashi. He couldn't think of another person she'd be going to see that she couldn't or wouldn't want to tell him about.

He let out a sigh and went to turn off the TV and DVD player. He decided to put the next hour to good use and went down to his office on the fifth floor. He was sorely tempted to check her tracker, but he knew he wouldn't. He trusted her and needed to prove it to himself by not checking the damn thing.

Stephanie couldn't for the life of her figure out why Yashi needed to see her at ten o'clock at night. She hoped everything was okay. She knew he still had times when he felt sad and overwhelmed about losing Sandy, but he never talked to her about Sandy so she figured that probably wasn't it.

While he was waiting for Stephanie, Yashi wrote a note and put it on Connie's desk, telling her he decided against having carpet put in his office. He told her if the workers got there before he did in the morning she should let them know. He didn't think she had a key to his office anyway, but he didn't want to take any chances of someone finding the trap door.

Stephanie pulled up to the back of the bonds office and sure enough, saw Yashi standing at the back door.

He opened it and let her in, then quickly locked it. "Thanks for coming," he said, leading her into his office. "Have a seat."

Stephanie sat in his guest chair. She hadn't been in his office since the day he'd suspended her with pay. "So, what's going on, Yashi?"

Yashi ran his hands through his hair. It was then that she noticed how stressed he looked. "Steph, this is a crazy story, but I was in here earlier tonight moving some things around when I found a trap door that leads to an underground room."

"Whoa, you're kidding? Vinnie never said anything about this place having a basement."

"Well, it does, and I went down to check it out. I found Vinnie down there, handcuffed, with his legs chained to the water pipes."

"What!" Stephanie jumped up from her chair. "Where is he now? Is he okay?"

Yashi blew out a long breath. "He's still down there. He's okay, relatively speaking, but he won't come out. He says Harry the Hammer put him there to punish him for some things he's done. Anyway, he wanted to speak with you, so I told him I'd call you."

Steph shook her head in dismay. "My God, the trouble that man can get in. Okay, show me how to find him and I'll see what I can do for him. Where's this trap door?"

Yashi motioned for her to come around the desk and he knelt down and opened the door. As soon as it was open, they heard Vinnie yell. "What the hell are you two doing up there, throwing a tea party? Anyone want to come down here and discuss this situation?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes at Yashi. "Don't you love how persuasive he sounds when he's asking for a favor?"

Yashi laughed for the first time since he'd discovered the trap door. "He's quite a character."

He handed Stephanie a flashlight he'd found in his car and moved aside to allow her to go first, then followed her down the steps.

Stephanie used the flashlight to look around the room. Vinnie was sitting in a chair surrounded by Cluck-in-a-Bucket debris. "Hey, Steph," he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world for them to be meeting like this. "Thanks for stopping by."

Stephanie couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Thanks for stopping by? Christ, Vinnie. What the hell kind of trouble are you in now?"

"I need your help," he said. "Well, I need Ranger's help. Pull up a chair and I'll tell you what's going on."

Stephanie sat in the chair that Yashi had been sitting in earlier and Yashi leaned against the desk and listened as Vinnie repeated the story he'd told Yashi earlier.

"We need to figure something out. I can't take it down here another seven weeks. I'll go nuts."

Stephanie kind of figured it was a little late for that, but she knew what he meant. "What do you think Ranger can do for you?" she wanted to know.

"Well, I only have part of an idea right now. Maybe you can help me flesh it out. We don't have a lot of time though. Harry's goons show up every night between one and two, so you two need to be out of here before then."

Stephanie held the flashlight over her watch to check the time. "Okay, tell me your partial plan."

Vinnie didn't get out three words when there was the sound of boots pounding down the steps. Three of Harry's henchmen stormed into the room with their guns drawn. "Hands in the air, all of you!" said a hulking man with a dark crew cut and a nasty scar that ran from his left temple, down his cheek to just above his jawline.

"Aww, Christ," Vinnie ground out as he, Yashi and Stephanie raised their hands.

"You," the man barked out, pointing his gun at Yashi, "over there against the wall." He waved his gun in the direction of the wall with the boxes and crates.

Yashi followed orders and headed to the wall with his hands still in the air.

One of the other goons grabbed Vinnie and hauled him back over to the water pipe. He put the cuffs back on him, checked the chains on his legs to make sure they were secure, then stuffed the gag back in his mouth.

The third guy grabbed Stephanie and cuffed her arms behind her back and the guy that had locked Vinnie back up went over and cuffed Yashi's hands behind his back.

"Not a single move," the first man said, pointing his gun at Yashi and then Steph. One wrong move, one wrong breath and no one will ever find your bodies."

Yashi and Stephanie exchanged glances, but there was no ESP going on as far as how they were going to get out of this. There were three goons with guns and they looked as though they wouldn't hesitate to use them. They were pissed off, no doubt dreading the moment they were going to have to tell Harry that his little office slash prison had been compromised.

When Stephanie pulled her gaze from Yashi and looked back at the men, she saw that two of them had pulled out a second gun. Dart guns. _Oh shit_, she thought just before she felt a sharp jab in her shoulder and everything went black.


	18. Chapter 18

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 18 **

Ranger looked at his watch for the fifth time since Stephanie left. It was almost 11:30 and she'd been gone an hour and a half which was a half hour longer than she'd estimated.

He was itching to check her tracker, not because he didn't trust her, but because he was worried about her being out alone at this time of night. It was the time of night when more of Trenton's low life were on the streets than regular law abiding citizens.

He pulled the tracking screen up on his computer and saw that her car was still sitting at the bonds office. With a sigh, he closed the screen and headed up to the seventh floor. He decided to take a shower so he'd be ready for bed when she got back. He knew her ribs were still a bit sore, but maybe they could manage a little gentle fooling around. At the very least, he couldn't wait to have her back home and safe in his arms.

He figured there would never come a time when he wouldn't worry about her while she was away from RangeMan, but at least he knew where she was and knew that both searches on Yashi had come back clean.

XXX

Vinnie slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He felt a bit dazed. His head was pounding and he was pissed off that Harry's goons had also shot him with the tranquilizer gun. There was no reason for that. He was handcuffed and his legs were chained to a freaking pipe. What did they think he was going to do?

He groaned when he realized that Stephanie and Yashi were gone. Now he knew why they drugged him. They probably didn't want him to hear their plans for what they were going to do with the two of them. One of Harry's henchmen was sitting at a desk staring at him, gun resting on his knee. He wondered if he could get any information out of him. If anything happened to Stephanie, Ranger would kill him. On the floor, a few feet to his left, he saw the scrunchy Stephanie had worn in her hair while she was there.

When the goon realized Vinnie was awake, he stood to leave. Vinnie mumbled and the goon walked over and pulled the gag from his mouth. "Where did they take Stephanie?" Vinnie asked, though he figured it was useless.

The goon laughed, showing the gap where he was missing two upper front teeth. He shoved the gag back in Vinnie's mouth, then made his way to the steps and for a moment, Vinnie thought he wasn't going to answer. At the last minute he turned and said, "Looks like the Asian guy kidnapped her. Such a shame." Then he let out a sinister laugh that made the hair stand up on Vinnie's arms.

The henchman climbed up the steps, but Vinnie could tell he didn't close the trap door because light was filtering down from Yashi's office. He heard some things being moved around, but wasn't sure what was going on.

The goon put on a pair of latex gloves so he wouldn't leave fingerprints, then moved the filing cabinets Yashi had put in the restroom back into the office. Then, he went back down the steps and released Vinnie long enough to let him use the bathroom. After locking Vinnie back up, the goon left again, this time closing the trap door behind him. Apparently he'd been told to stick around long enough to make sure Vinnie regained consciousness. The goon pushed Yashi's desk back into place and left through the back door. Seeing that Yashi and Stephanie's cars were gone, he knew his partners had taken care of their part of the task.

Vinnie scooted far enough to his left to be able to stretch out with his cuffed hands and snag Stephanie's scrunchy. He bit his lip, hoping she was okay as he tucked the scrunchy in the pocket of his pants.

He thought things were bad enough just before Yashi found him, but it was nothing compared to the shit that was going to hit the fan when Ranger found out Stephanie was missing. He feared Ranger far more than he feared Harry. He knew Harry would keep him alive because of Lucille. Ranger didn't give a shit about Lucille and everyone who knew Ranger either believed or at least suspected that he'd killed for Stephanie in the past and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

XXX

At five minutes after midnight, Ranger was sitting on the couch trying to read the newspaper, but he couldn't concentrate. After his shower, he'd dressed in clean clothing instead of his silk boxers in case Stephanie called and needed him. When his cell phone rang, he grabbed it quickly, hoping it was his Babe. He glanced at the caller I.D. and his stomach clenched when he saw it was the control room.

"Yo," he barked into the phone.

"Ranger, this is Vince. Stephanie's car just went off the grid. I knew you'd want to know right away."

"Where?" Ranger asked, making his way to the door.

"The last location it shows up is at the river near the old industrial district by the mill that closed a few years ago."

"Got it," Ranger said, already making his way quickly down the stairs. "I'm headed there now."

"You want backup?" Vince asked. Cal and Ram just came off a surveillance shift and are on their way back here. I could call them to meet you."

"Do that," Ranger told him. "I'll call Tank myself." He snapped his phone shut and climbed into the turbo. After calling Tank, he tried Stephanie's cell phone number, but it went to voicemail. He tried Yashi's number and got the same result.

Next, he called the number for the bonds office and got a recording of Connie's voice saying the office was closed. Ranger snapped his phone shut. He knew the next part of the message was Connie giving the hours the office was open and then inviting the caller to leave a message.

He drove past the bonds office on his way to the river. There were no lights on inside and Stephanie's car was indeed gone. There was also no sign of Yashi's Mercedes. He picked up his phone again and called Stephanie's apartment, but the machine picked up.

The longer the time stretched out without hearing her voice and knowing where she was, the more Ranger worried. He wished he'd insisted on going with her when she left, although that would have caused an argument.

There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary on the road that led to the river and when he got to the old mill, he parked and grabbed his new MagLite LED. He'd only been walking the shore a few minutes when Cal and Ram joined him.

Ranger let them know what was going on and instructed them to continue to search the area while he went to break into the old mill building to look around. Just as he got the lock picked, Tank pulled up and joined him.

Tank considered making a comment about Stephanie's never ending penchant for finding trouble, but one look at Ranger's face told him it was not a good idea. They split up once they got inside and searched the entire place. Nothing. No sign that anyone had been inside recently.

They walked back to the river bank and Ranger told Tank about the call Stephanie received earlier that night and that he knew she'd been at the bonds office. They caught up with Cal and Ram who reported that they saw no sign of Stephanie or her car.

Ranger flipped open his phone and called the control room. When Vince picked up, Ranger said, "Check all of Stephanie's trackers and report back to me." He hung up before Vince could reply.

"Now what?" Tank asked.

Ranger turned to Cal and Ram. Get Yashi's home address from Vince and go check out his house. Tank and I are going to go check out the bonds office."

"On it," Cal replied as he and Ram headed for their SUV.

"I'll follow you," Tank told Ranger as they walked to their vehicles.

As Ranger was driving to the bonds office, his phone rang again and it was Vince. "Report," Ranger barked out.

"Stephanie has a live tracker in her purse which is showing up in the alley between the bonds office and the barber shop. My best guess is a dumpster. She has an ink pen with a tracker that shows up at her apartment and two in her barrettes that she sometimes wears on distractions that are also showing up at her apartment. She has one sewn into a thing called a hair scrunchy that shows up at her apartment and another one sewn into a hair scrunchy that shows up at the bonds office as well as a third one sewn in a scrunchy that shows up at Yashi's house. There is one in a lipstick tube and one inside a locket that both show up at her mom's house."

"Watch them all and let me know if you see any movement," Ranger instructed before disconnecting. Christ, he knew the guys had been planting extras trackers on her ever since the incident at Shorty's but he had no idea there were so many of them. On a normal day, even he would think that many trackers was possibly overkill, but tonight, he just hoped one of them would start moving and give them a clue to her location.

He wasn't even surprised one of her scrunchy trackers showed up at Yashi's house. She was always putting those things in her hair and taking them out. He knew she often misplaced them and he also knew she went swimming at Yashi's house, but didn't know if she wore a scrunchy when swimming.

As soon as he found her, he was going to start making plans to buy or build a house with a pool ... and maybe a tennis court. No, wait. She probably didn't like tennis. It was a lot of exercise. Maybe a bowling alley or a home theater room for watching movies. Probably both. He shook his head to clear his mind and get his thoughts back on track.

Tank pulled up behind him at the bonds office and Ranger sent him to check the dumpster for her purse. He then picked the lock on the back door and let himself inside.

Tank was back in ten minutes with Stephanie's purse which was covered with coffee grounds and something that looked like spaghetti sauce. Ranger told him to look through it for any clues, but didn't expect to find anything.

The office looked a little bare with the couch and chairs gone, but Ranger had heard from Lula that they were having new carpeting installed soon. Everything else looked normal in the main office and around Connie's desk.

He picked the lock on Yashi's office door and he and Tank looked around, but nothing appeared to be out of place. The desktop was much neater than it had ever been when Vinnie owned the place and Ranger saw nothing of interest among the small amount of paperwork he found there. He jimmied the desk drawers and found the loaded Glock, but nothing that would give them a clue about where he was or where Stephanie was.

"Let's go check her apartment," Tank suggested to Ranger. Ranger took a last look around and gave his right-hand man a slight nod.

As they were doing a walk-through at Stephanie's apartment, Cal called to report that there was no one home at Yashi's house and nothing looked out of place. Ranger told him to drive past her parents' house and then head back to Rangeman with Ram.

He closed his phone and looked at Tank. "Gone. Vanished. How the hell could this happen again?" He raked his hands through his hair and reminded himself to stay calm and focused.

Tank shook his head. He no longer even bothered to try to figure out the craziness and drama that surrounded Stephanie. There was no logic to it and tonight was a good example. This wasn't something that happened while she was performing her job as a bounty hunter. It just came out of nowhere and the entire company would be on alert and on edge until they found her, hopefully alive and well.

"You think she's with Yashi?" Tank asked, preparing himself for a burst of anger from Ranger. He was more than a little surprised when no anger was forthcoming.

"I don't know," Ranger said with a sigh. Maybe. Hell, I don't know what to think. She could be with him or something could have happened after she left him. Let's get back to the office and come up with a plan."

On his way back to the office, he called Vince and told him to send out an alert to the core team as well as Hector. He wanted them in the fifth floor conference room in twenty minutes.

Next he called the Trenton P.D. and asked who was currently out on patrol. One of the pairs was Big Dog and Carl Costanza. Ranger asked the dispatcher to have them come by the RangeMan building.

Twenty minutes later, Ranger, Tank, Bobby, Lester, Hector, Ram, Cal, Carl and Big Dog, were gathered at the conference room table. Ranger filled them in on why they'd been assembled, then he let Ram report on checking out Yashi's house and Stephanie's parents' house.

Tank reported on his and Ranger's search of the bonds office and the search at the river, including the mill.

Once everything had been reported, Ranger looked at Lester and asked him to put together a plan for their next steps. Lester was a master at strategically putting together a plan that left no stone unturned.

"On it," Lester said.

"If anyone has any information or clues about where Stephanie could be, now is the time to speak up. When I dismiss you, I want everyone to make a list of places we should look, people we should call and ground we should cover. When we meet back, you can compare your list to the plan Lester will have ready."

Carl Costanza raised his hand indicating he wanted permission to speak, which Ranger granted. "Ranger, I hate to ask, but everyone knows Stephanie and Yashi have been spending a lot of time together. Even Joe's mentioned it at the station. Is there any chance they just ... well, wanted to be together and you know ... ran off together?"

You could hear a pin drop in the room as all eyes shifted to Ranger to wait for his reaction.

It was easy for Ranger to slam his blank face into place because even though he didn't think it was likely, the thought had occurred to him ... about a hundred times. Before he could reply, Lester spoke up. "No, not possible."

Now all eyes shifted to Lester who didn't elaborate.

Carl spoke up again. "Listen, I know no one around here wants to think Steph would do that, but let's face it, saying it's not possible isn't really true, right?"

Finally, Ranger found his tongue. "Thanks Carl. You're right, every possibility should be considered, though I agree with Lester."

"Ranger, can I speak with you out in the hallway for a moment?" Lester asked.

Ranger gave him a slight nod and they stepped out into the hallway. "What is it that couldn't wait until the meeting is over, Santos?"

Lester shifted his weight from one leg to the other and cleared his throat. "Listen, there's something you should know. Yashi is gay. I know that for a fact. He and Stephanie may be together, but they didn't run off to be together."

Ranger's eyes widened in disbelief. Without a word to Lester, he yanked open the conference room door, gesturing for Lester to go back inside. "Pierre, out here now!" Ranger barked out."

Tank gave Lester a dirty look as they passed each other. Once Tank stepped out of the room, Ranger slammed the door. "Lester tells me that Yashi is gay."

"That's true," Tank replied.

"That information would have been in the searches you ran," Ranger said, his voice strained.

Tank glanced down at his boots. "It was."

"You never said a word," Ranger accused.

Tank shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't ask."

Ranger stared at him in disbelief. "You just allowed me to be ... to be ... "

"To be jealous enough to finally claim your woman like you should have years ago? Yes."

"You're an asshole, Tank. You told me he dated a Broadway dancer for five years."

"He did. You think there are only female dancers on Broadway? The guy's name was Sandy Wilson. He was killed by a drunk driver a little less than a year ago."

Ranger clenched his fists at his side trying to get his anger under control. "You're three rungs lower than a donkey, Tank."

Tank chuckled in spite of Ranger's anger. "Three rungs lower than a donkey sounds about right since I never do anything half-assed."

"As soon as this is over and we have Stephanie back, I'm going to rearrange all your body parts on the mats," Ranger ground out. "You'll be lucky if you don't end up with an arm sticking out of your ass."

Tank felt like rolling his eyes. "You should be thanking me. You finally grew a pair and you're happy now. Well, you were happy until she came up missing again. Let's get back in the room and concentrate on finding her."

"You giving the orders now, Pierre?" He knew the words Tank spoke were true, but he was still pissed off that his best friend and second in command had withheld information from him.

"No, sir," Tank said in mock seriousness. "Requesting permission to get back inside and work on plans to find Stephanie."

"Permission granted, fuckwad."

Back in the room, Ranger gave some further instructions and reminded them that Stephanie's trackers needed to be monitored constantly and any movement was to be reported to him immediately.

Before he could dismiss them, Big Dog got a call on his walkie talkie. He pushed the button that would keep the call private so it wouldn't be broadcast to everyone in the room. The call was brief and he only asked a couple of questions in between listening to the person on the other end.

When he disconnected, he looked at the group, his eyes finally resting on Ranger's. They're pulling Stephanie's car out of the river right now."

Ranger felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He looked at his watch. "How is that possible? We were just there a little over two hours ago, who would have discovered it at this time of night?"

"Anonymous tip," Big Dog replied. He looked at Carl and said, "Let's go."


	19. Chapter 19

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_Ranger felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He looked at his watch. "How is that possible? We were just there a little over two hours ago, who would have discovered it at this time of night?"_

"Anonymous tip," Big Dog replied. He looked at Carl and said, "Let's go."

**Chapter 19**

"Tank, Bobby, Lester, come with me," Ranger ordered. "Hector, make sure the control room keeps an eye on those trackers."

On their way down the steps heading to the garage, Carl asked Ranger, "Why do you monitor the trackers when clearly none of them are in her possession?"

"I can answer that," Lester said, glancing at Ranger's face and seeing his mind was elsewhere. "It's just an extra precaution. Say for instance Stephanie was grabbed by one of her old skips last night. Now the skip isn't that bright and he's wondering what to do with her now that he's got her. He decides to take her back to her apartment to tie her up there or see if she has anything worth stealing. Once inside, Steph may not be able to get to the phone, but she may be able to grab one of her trackers and have it on her when they move to another location."

"But she doesn't have a key to her apartment. You guys said you found her purse in a dumpster."

They exited the stairwell into the garage and Lester laughed. "Guess you've never tried to get into Steph's apartment. A third grader could get in. Anyway, say she's with Yashi and he turns out not to be the good guy we thought he was. If he takes her back to his place for a while, there's also a tracker there she can hopefully grab."

Carl nodded his understanding, but the conversation ended when they jumped into their vehicles. Carl and Big Dog in their police cruiser, Tank and Ranger in the turbo and Lester and Bobby in an SUV.

By the time they all reached the river, Stephanie's car had been pulled free and was hanging from the back of the tow truck. Ranger and his men made their way through the two Trenton PD cruisers, the tow truck and the ambulance, plus Morelli's SUV and an unmarked car.

Morelli approached them, shaking his head. "Don't know where she is, but the good news is, she's not in the car and they haven't found her in the water." He saw them glance at the ambulance and said, "Called them just in case."

"Any idea where the call came from?" Ranger asked.

"Nope. Probably a disposable cell phone. "She have a new stalker?"

Ranger shook his head. "Not that we know of. She hasn't brought in a skip in a little over six weeks."

"You have any clues I need to know about?" Joe asked Ranger.

"Nothing," Ranger told him. He wasn't ready to have Joe butt into their search. They could get away with a lot more things if the police weren't hanging around. Like breaking into places to search them. It was good enough for Joe to know she was missing. He could take it from there and start his own search.

Joe gave Ranger a look that told him he didn't quite believe him. "Let me know if you hear anything and I'll do likewise," Joe told him, walking away.

"What next?" Tank asked.

Ranger turned back to Bobby, Tank and Lester. "Tank and I have already searched the bonds office. Lester and Bobby, you go take a shot at it and see if you find something that we missed. Tank and I will go check out Yashi's house to see if we can find something that Ram and Cal missed. We'll meet back at Rangeman."

"Got it," Bobby said as he and Lester turned to walk back to their SUV.

Ranger stopped them. "Be sure to park down the block, go in the back door and get in and out as fast as possible. Joe and the rest of the Trenton P.D. are going to be out in full force. I don't want you seen."

"Will do," Lester assured him.

Ranger got back in his turbo and took a deep breath. He wished they had one tiny freaking little clue as to where to start, but at least his fear of her being found in her car was behind him. He started the turbo and they headed toward Yashi's house.

Tank searched the first floor of Yashi's house and Ranger searched the second floor. They found nothing suspicious, but Tank spotted Stephanie's scrunchy on the counter in the half bathroom off the kitchen and reported it to Ranger.

The bonds office was quite a bit smaller than Yashi's house, so Lester and Bobby were already back at RangeMan when Tank and Ranger got there.

"I want a look inside her car," Ranger told them. "Lester, call and see if they'll tell you where they had it towed. If you don't have any luck, I'll call Morelli."

"I'll call," Lester told him, but after being pulled out of that filthy river, unless it's a really big clue, we're not going to find anything."

"Always the optimist," Bobby said. "Just make the call so we can get it done." Then he turned to Ranger. "The only thing we saw at the bonds office was her scrunchy in the top drawer of Connie's desk."

"Yes, I saw it earlier when Tank and I were there," Ranger told him. "We're missing something though, I just know it."

Ranger left the group of men to go to the control room so he could check on the trackers. Vince was off duty, but still hanging around making small talk with Binkie. "Nothing," Vince told Ranger when he approached.

Ranger gave him a small nod, turned on his heel and headed toward his office. He pulled up the tracking screen to look for himself and Vince was right, of course. Nothing had changed since the last time he'd looked at it.

Tank joined him a few minutes later, settling into the chair in front of Ranger's desk. "Hope you don't mind, I woke up Rodriguez and asked him to search around to see if Yashi has any relatives in the area. If he doesn't, Rodriguez is going to check New York."

"Too bad we never put a tracker on his Mercedes," Ranger said regretfully.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. There was no reason to put a tracker on his car. I don't know where he is, but he could be just as much a victim in this as Steph is."

"Yes, except his car didn't turn up in the river, did it? He's missing, Steph's missing and his car is missing."

Tank blew out a sigh. "Yeah."

Ranger picked up his phone and called the control room. "Binkie, send out an alert. Meeting in the fifth floor conference room in fifteen minutes. I want the core team, everyone who is scheduled to work today and everyone who was supposed to be off today in there."

He disconnected and looked at Tank. "I can't lose her now, Tank. We were just getting started."

Normally, Tank would be surprised to see a gamut of emotions travel across Ranger's face, but not in this case. He knew that Stephanie meant the world to him and his fear of losing her was greater than the sum of his control over his emotions. "You won't," Tank assured him, hoping his words were true. "Stephanie is smart and tough. Between her unorthodox way of getting things done and our persistence, we've always gotten her back."

Once everyone was gathered in the conference room, Ranger asked Tank to give a summary of everything they knew up to that point for the benefit of the guys who had been asleep.

Once Tank was finished, Ranger started giving out assignments. Zero, get Yashi's address from the control room and watch his house. Report directly to me if you see anyone show up or any movement at all.

"Brett, I want you in the Burg watching her parents' house. Bobby, I want you watching her apartment. Cal and Ram, you two go get some sleep so you can relieve Zero and Brett later.

Everyone else is on alert. If you're on the road today, keep your eyes open, if you're on the phones, pay attention to any suspicious calls. Tank and I are headed down to Stark Street to see if anyone has seen or heard anything. We'll meet back here at 1900 hours unless something comes up before then. Dismissed."

Everyone jumped up from their chairs quickly and headed out, some of the guys giving Ranger a cuff on his shoulder as their way of showing their support. He knew each and every one of them would do their best to help find his Babe.

Ranger and Tank spent three hours on Stark Street and the surrounding area, asking questions and issuing threats as well as offering money for any information that would lead to finding Stephanie. They came up empty.

After leaving Stark Street, they stopped at places that Stephanie usually frequented to see if anyone had seen her. They hit the Tasty Pastry, Dunkin' Donuts, the local diner, Pino's, the Clip and Curl, McDonald's, Cluck-in-a-Bucket, the convenience store where she usually bought her Tasty Cakes. Nothing. They checked in with Mary Lou, Connie and Lula. No one had seen Stephanie or heard from her. Not that they expected they would have, but as the day wore on with no clues to go on, Ranger's discouragement grew. He didn't say that, of course, but Tank could tell by the way his shoulders were slumping a bit.

XXX

When Stephanie came to, she found herself handcuffed with her arms behind her back. Her ankles were chained to a row of cinder blocks, the chain weaving in and out of the cut out spaces in the center of each block. Pain shot through her neck as she straighted her head. The muscles had cramped up from her head slumping to the side while she was unconscious. She let out a groan from the discomfort and pain, but because of the gag in her mouth, the sound was barely audible.

She looked to her left and found that Yashi was cuffed and chained in the same manner. Several feet in front of them was one of Harry's men, sitting on a wooden crate. He was wearing a holster with a handgun tucked into it and a rifle rested on the floor at his side. He grinned at Stephanie when he saw she was awake.

It appeared they were inside a self storage unit. The floor was cement and the walls were made of concrete blocks. Behind Harry's henchman, she saw the bay door that opened upward like a garage door.

She wondered if the storage room was one unit connected to other units or if it was freestanding. She and Yashi exchanged a look that said both of them were evaluating the situation, but they each knew their chances of getting away while being watched by an armed guard were slim. Maybe none.

Stephanie started making noises while looking at the guard to indicate she wanted to speak to him, but it seemed he wasn't interested. Deliberately mocking her, he pulled a set of ear buds from his pocket and stuck them in his ears. Great, he was more interested in listening to his iPod.

XXX

At 1900 hours (7 PM), they had another meeting in the RangeMan conference room. There was nothing new to report. Most of the things that Lester had written in his plans had already been covered except he was still working with Rodriguez on tracking down any contacts Yashi might have in New York and family members in Chicago. Lester had spoken to his parents, pretending to be an old classmate from Harvard, but they said they hadn't heard from Yashi in a couple weeks which, according to them, wasn't unusual.

Ranger gave out the new shift assignments and dismissed everyone. He and Tank went back to Ranger's office and a few minutes later, Ella showed up with a tray holding sandwiches, fruit, bottled water and coffee. "I'm pretty sure you two haven't eaten and you need to keep your strength up if you intend to keep searching for our girl," she told them. "I'm sure you don't feel like eating," she continued, looking directly at Ranger, "but your body still needs nutrition to be able to perform at high levels of skill and efficiency."

Ranger almost smiled at her prepared speech. "Thank you, Ella. We appreciate it."

"She's the best," Tank said with a smile once she'd left the room. He picked up a roast beef sandwich and bit into it and nodded toward a chicken sandwich on the tray. "You heard the woman, Rangeman, eat up."

Ranger reluctantly ate part of the sandwich and drank the bottle of water, then he and Tank discussed what they should do next while they drank their coffee. "What are we missing?" Tank asked, setting his coffee cup back on the tray.

"A motive for one thing," Ranger answered. "If Yashi is gay, he didn't take her because he's interested in her romantically. She doesn't own anything of value. He already had her friendship. The whole thing doesn't make sense. We're missing something and I'd bet money it's connected to the bonds office in some way. I just can't figure out how."

Tank looked at his watch. "Well, Lula and Connie are gone for the day, let's take another trip over there and take a fingerprint kit with us."

Ranger called Hal and asked him to meet them in the garage. Hal was the best at lifting prints. They stopped by the control room to let Hector know where they were going and then stopped by the storage room to grab a fingerprint kit.

Inside the bonds office, Ranger once again started going through every item on Connie's desk and in the drawers while Tank checked the storage room, bathroom and attic. Hal was busy lifting prints and scanning them into his laptop.

XXX

In the basement, Vinnie was fidgeting and feeling more restless than usual. Before Yashi found him, he'd settled into a routine that basically just included sleeping, daydreaming and eating when the goons arrived at night. Once the goons caused Stephanie and Yashi to disappear, he found it hard to relax. He was worried because Harry hadn't sent some kind of word about how upset he was that the basement had been breached and hadn't sent anyone to remove the computers, files and crates. He had a hinky feeling the henchmen hadn't even told Harry what happened. Maybe they'd decided to dispose of Stephanie and Yashi on their own so as not to raise Harry's ire.

In order to relive his boredom and get his mind off Harry, he stood up and pulled Stephanie's scrunchy out of his pocket and began tossing it up in the air and catching it, playing a game of catch with himself. There wasn't very much light in the basement, just two night lights plugged into opposite sides of the room, but that just made the game of catch a little more challenging.

XXX

Upstairs, Ranger's cell phone rang. He looked at the readout and saw that it was the control room. "Report," he barked out when he flipped open the phone.

"Ranger, this is Cal. One of Stephanie's trackers is moving."

Ranger's heart thudded in his chest. "Where? Which one?"

The one at the bonds office," Cal told him.

Ranger frowned. "That's not possible. I'm at the bonds office right now."

"I don't know what to tell you, Ranger. I'm looking at it on the screen and it's moving."

"Stephanie's scrunchy is in Connie's desk drawer. I just looked at it. What direction does it show it moving in?"

"Well, that's the weird thing. It isn't moving in a horizontal direction like it's traveling. The green dot is just sort of jumping around on the screen. It looks like it's going to start moving, but then jerks back to it's original position."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ranger barked out. "Are you sure something isn't wrong with your computer or screen. Check another computer."

"Okay, hang on," Cal told him.

While waiting for Cal to come back on the line, Ranger yelled to Hal. "Hal, does your laptop have the tracker software installed on it?"

"Sure," Hal answered from across the room. "You need it?"

"Yeah, bring it over here and pull it up."

Hal set his laptop on the counter by Connie's desk and pulled up the tracking screen. He typed in the number for Stephanie's trackers and a look of surprise crossed both their faces when they saw one of the green dots jumping around on the screen.

Cal came back on the line. "Ranger, I checked two other computers, the green dot is still moving around."

"Yeah, we just pulled it up on Hal's laptop and see the same thing. I just don't know what it means though. We're right here." He paused and then said, "I'll call you back, Cal."

He snapped his cell phone shut as Tank joined them at Connie's desk. "What going on out here?" Tank asked.

Ranger pointed to the screen and filled him in then turned to Hal. "Hal, remember when we were looking for Stephanie's tracker inside that huge abandoned warehouse last year and Hector pulled up a grid representing the building and projected it over the tracker screen?"

"Yeah," Hal told him. "He showed me how to do that. Hang on." Hal clicked on the screen under "tracking tools" then clicked on "grid," then entered the address for the bonds office. He clicked on "show tracker on grid" and almost instantly a screen popped up with the grid and tracker on the same layout.

Ranger took one look at the screen and said, "Shit! That tracker is not the one in Connie's desk, it's on the other half of the building, by Yashi's office." He pulled the scrunchy out of Connie's desk drawer and felt all around the edges of the fabric. "Fuck, this one doesn't even have a tracker. We've been watching a scrunchy here in the office, but it isn't this one."

He and Tank hurried to Yashi's office and let themselves in, then started looking in every desk drawer and every filing cabinet drawer again. "I don't understand what the hell is going on," Ranger said as they continued to search. "We're looking for a tracker that's moving, but how could that be?"

"I don't know," Tank said, but this is some weird shit. He turned around to say he was going to check the storage room and bathroom again, but stopped when Ranger said, "Wait!"

"Look at this," he said, pointing to the floor at the edge of the desk. This desk has been moved recently. Look how the floor is cleaner along the edge where the desk had been covering it up."

Tank nodded. "You're right." He and Ranger grabbed the desk and shoved it out of the way.

"Well, I'll be damned," Ranger murmured, dropping to his knees. "It's a fucking trap door and Vinnie kept it hidden all these years."

"You think Yashi knows about it?" Tank asked.

"Don't know, but I'm going down there. Tank, cover me. Hal, keep watch."

Ranger and Tank pulled their guns and Tank followed Ranger down the steps.

Vinnie froze and stopped tossing the scrunchy when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He was pretty sure it was way too early for Harry's henchmen. When his eyes met Ranger's, Vinnie slid to the floor wishing he could make himself invisible.

"What the fuck?" Ranger and Tank said at the same time. Ranger bent down and yanked the gag from Vinnie's mouth.

"Ranger, Tank," Vinnie said by way of greeting. "Imagine seeing you two here."

"Explain!" Ranger ordered.

Vinnie knew better than to hold back with an angry Ranger glaring down at him. He spilled his guts and told them everything.

"Christ!" Ranger spat out. "Where did they take them?"

Vinnie shook his head. "I have no idea. You'll have to ask Harry."

Ranger flipped open his phone and called Lester. "Les, I need you and Bobby to get to the bonds office immediately. Park around back and bring two SUVs." He disconnected without waiting for a reply.

"Wha ... what are you doing?"

"When Bobby and Lester get here, we're going to load you and all this shit up. Then, we're going to call Harry to see if he'd like to make a trade."

"A trade?" Vinnie swallowed hard.

"You heard me right. If you think I wouldn't trade you for Stephanie, you're delusional," Ranger told him.

"He'll kill me," Vinnie choked out.

"Better you than Steph," Ranger replied.

"But ... but, he might not know where she is. He may not even know what happened here."

"Well then, I guess he'll figure it out real fast when I call him."

"But ... but ... "

"Stop begging, Vinnie," Tank said with a laugh. "It's irritating and unattractive."

**A/N - Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As I'm sure you've all figured out, I'm way behind on replying to feedback. Things are so busy right now, I can't even make a promise as to when I'll be caught up. I apologize. I really do love hearing from you! The computer programs are down at work at the moment, but I still have internet, so I took the opportunity to get this chapter posted. Love you, bye. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love **

_**"Stop begging, Vinnie," Tank said with a laugh. "It's irritating and unattractive."**_

**Chapter 20**

While waiting for Lester and Bobby to arrive, Tank used his camera phone to take pictures of Vinnie cuffed and chained to the water pipe, then took some pictures of the room. When Bobby and Lester got there, Ranger had them secure Vinnie in the back of one of the SUVs, instructing Hal to drive him back to RangeMan where Hector would be waiting to help move Vinnie to a cell in the basement.

Next, Bobby, Tank, Lester and Ranger turned themselves into a human assembly line and loaded the boxes, crates and computers into the back of the other SUV. They didn't have room for the filing cabinets, so Ranger quickly went through the drawers and pulled files with the most damaging evidence of Harry's mob activities and loaded them into the turbo. It was amazing that anyone would keep records of hundreds and hundreds of illegal activities, but it wasn't the first time Ranger had heard of it happening. Big time mobsters have big time egos and can't resist the urge to record their deals and hits for posterity.

When they were done emptying the basement, they closed the trap door, pushed the desk back into place, then did a quick walk-through to make sure they didn't leave behind any signs that they'd been there.

Once they got back to RangeMan, the guys moved everything to a cell next to Vinnie in the basement and Ranger unlocked Vinnie's cell and escorted him to one of the smaller conference rooms. He really didn't want to, but he had no personal beef with Vinnie and he just couldn't see keeping him locked up. The man had already been shackled for six weeks.

Once Vinnie was seated in the conference room, Ranger asked him if he was hungry. "Yeah, I'm especially hungry for some decent food. No fast food or vending machine crap."

Ranger nodded. "I'll have my housekeeper make something for you." He unclipped his phone and called Ella, requesting she bring a tray of food to the conference room. He disconnected and said, "Fifteen minutes."

"Sweet," Vinnie said. "I don't suppose you have shower facilities here, do you?"

Ranger couldn't blame him a bit for that request. Vinnie was smelling considerably ripe. He wondered if he had been wearing the same clothing the entire six weeks. Everyone within twenty feet of Vinnie would appreciate Ranger allowing Vinnie to shower and change. "Yes, hang on a minute and I'll arrange it."

Ranger stepped outside the door and dialed Hector. He was the smallest in stature of all the Rangemen so he would be the closest to Vinnie's size. Ranger asked him to bring a pair of his cargo pants, a t-shirt and clean socks for Vinnie and then escort him to the lone empty apartment on the fourth floor.

He stepped back into the room and let Vinnie know what he'd arranged. "Hector will be waiting outside the apartment door, so I'd suggest you not try to leave or do anything stupid. Ella should have your food ready by the time Hector brings you back here."

Vinnie nodded, but gave no verbal reply.

Once Hector collected Vinnie and headed to the fourth floor, Ranger walked down to the control room and had them turn off the phone in that apartment so Vinnie couldn't dial out. Then, he went to his office to put together a plan for making a trade with Harry to get Stephanie back.

He couldn't wait to see her again and hoped like hell Harry's goons had done nothing to harm her. There would be hell to pay if she was hurt in any way. He hoped that they had kept Steph and Yashi together because Stephanie would worry a lot less if she wasn't alone.

He looked through the contact list on his phone. He knew Harry's private cell number should be there because they'd spoken in the past when Harry returned a favor for Stephanie that had, of course, turned into a disaster.

He found the number and hit the green button to connect. Harry picked up on the second ring. "Mr. Manoso," came Harry's gravelly voice. "It's been a while. I trust everything is well with you and your beautiful bounty hunter, Ms. Plum?"

Ranger sighed inwardly. It figured Harry knew nothing about what was going on with Stephanie, Vinnie and Harry's henchmen.

"Harry," Ranger said by way of a greeting. "Stephanie is missing and a couple of your men are responsible." He knew Harry would be shocked, but he had no time or desire to try to candy coat it. Still, he knew what he would feel like if he were to receive a similar phone call regarding his own men. Of course, that would never happen, but he knew how upsetting it would be.

There was a short pause on the other end. Finally, Harry said, "I assume you've gathered proof of this before making such an accusation?" he asked. Well, it was sort of a question and sort of a statement.

"Yes, of course," Ranger assured him. "I'm also visiting with your son-in-law at the moment, but not where you'd expect to find him."

No pause at all this time. "I think perhaps the telephone is not the best means to conduct this conversation," Harry ground out. "I can receive you in my office in twenty minutes."

"I'll be there," Ranger said, but while you're waiting for me, I trust you'll begin questioning your men about Stephanie's whereabouts. I want her back today. Nothing else is acceptable," he said before disconnecting.

Ranger knew Harry liked being dictated to about as much as he did, but he wasn't about to let Harry call all the shots or feel he had the upper hand in any way.

He called Tank to meet him in the garage, then he called Hal and gave him instructions to meet Hector on the fourth floor and that there were be two men watching Vinnie at all times while Ranger and Tank were out of the building. He told him they should escort Vinnie back to the fourth floor apartment after he'd eaten and allow him to watch TV so he'd have something to occupy his time. He knew that Vinnie was too much of a chicken shit to try anything, but there was no sense taking any chances.

Ranger and Tank made the twenty minute drive to Harry's estate in fourteen minutes. A 250 pound butler that looked like a former heavyweight boxer answered the door and escorted them to Harry's office. Normally, Harry would have allowed them to wait ten minutes or so in his office before making an appearance, but he decided in this case that the sooner this was taken care of, the better for everyone involved.

He stood from his desk and greeted them as Ranger and Tank settled into the expensive burgundy leather upholstered chairs situated in front of Harry's desk.

Harry offered them a drink which they refused, but he nodded to the butler to refill his scotch. Once that was taken care of, the butler moved to the door and crossed his arms over his massive chest, but didn't leave. Apparently, he doubled as a body guard.

Harry cleared his throat. "You didn't tell me that Mr. Nakamura was also being held along with Stephanie," he said to Ranger.

"I thought the less said over the phone, the better," Ranger told him.

"Yes, while that's true, it complicates things," Harry said. "While I trust Ms. Plum to a great degree, I can't say that I know Mr. Nakamura well enough to either trust or mistrust him. He was in the ... storage room with what I'm sure you've realized is ... delicate information."

Ranger locked his eyes on Harry's. "It's my understanding that Yashi and Stephanie were only in the _storage room_ for a few minutes before your men showed up." Ranger knew that wasn't quite true since Yashi had been down there before he'd even called Stephanie and had brought food back to Vinnie, but he was taking a gamble that Harry's goons had confessed as little as possible and likely downplayed the amount of time Stephanie and Yashi were in the basement.

"In addition to that," Ranger continued, Stephanie knows Yashi quite well and I'm sure she'll vouch for him. I've placed a lot of trust in him myself, allowing Yashi to train Stephanie in karate and other training." Okay, that was another stretch, but Harry didn't know that is wasn't up to Ranger to _allow_ Steph to do anything.

Harry didn't immediately reply to any of that, but instead said, "I have two men on their way over there. They should be there any minute now and will report back to me if it looks like anything has been disturbed."

Here come the fireworks, Ranger thought to himself. "Except for a few files, the items you're wondering about are no longer there. I moved them and put them under lock and key for safe keeping."

"Christ!" Harry spat out. "This just gets better and better, doesn't it?" His face was turning red and he grabbed the glass tumbler next to him and downed his scotch in one gulp.

Ranger kept his voice calm and reassuring. "Harry, I have no interest in your business dealings. My only concern is the safe return of Stephanie and Yashi. Look, we both want something here and there is no reason we can't work out an amicable trade. I have all your possessions locked up in a secure environment. Even my men can't get to any of it to look through it." This was true. After having everything locked in the cell at RangeMan, Ranger had taken possession of all three keys to the cell and changed the electronic code.

Harry rested his elbows on his desk and rubbed his temples with his index and middle fingers. Ranger noticed that Harry had aged quite a bit since the last time he'd seen him. As he rubbed his temples, the loose, wrinkled skin moved freely beneath his fingers. "I know Stephanie and Mr. Nakamura's location now. What do you have in mind for working out a trade?" he finally asked.

Ranger glanced at Tank then shifted his attention back to Harry. "Tank and Lester and I will meet you at the location where Stephanie is being held. We'll bring Vinnie with us and swap Vinnie for Stephanie. Then, I'll have Lester transport Stephanie away from the area. Once I receive word from Lester that he and Stephanie have safely arrived at their destination, I'll retrieve your files, computers and crates and bring them to the location to swap for Yashi." Ranger had already guessed that getting Yashi back would be harder than getting Stephanie back, so he knew he'd need more leverage than Vinnie in trade for Yashi.

Harry held Ranger's gaze and he considered the proposition. "And how do I know you'll return with my items to exchange them for Mr. Nakamura. As far as I know, he means nothing to you. It's Stephanie you're really after."

Ranger nodded that he understood Harry's concern. "It's true that I have no special attachment to Yashi, however, the same cannot be said for Stephanie. They've become close friends and she would never forgive me if I didn't also secure his release. Stephanie's loyalty to her friends is well known. Even her loyalty to you has been proven in the past."

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Harry asked. "I won't take kindly to any underhandedness on your part or that of any of your men."

Ranger braced himself for the second round of fireworks. "Yes. I've made copies of some of your most recent _deals. _The copies are in a safe deposit box. As long as Stephanie, Yashi and everyone at RangeMan remain safe from reprisal by you and your men, no one will be the wiser. If anything should happen to me, there are instructions that the material should be turned over to the Attorney General's Office. If anything happens to Stephanie, Yashi or any of my men, I'll deliver the material to the Attorney General myself."

Harry quickly rose from his chair and braced his hands on his desk, leaning over it in Ranger's direction. "So, to show your gratitude for Stephanie's return, you choose to blackmail me and hold this over my head!" Once again, Harry's face was turning red and a vein was working steadily near his temple.

Ranger took a deep breath and kept his voice calm and reassuring. "Harry, I don't think of it as blackmail, I think of it as an insurance policy. As long as we all remain unharmed, no one will ever see what's in the safe deposit box."

"And if you decide to use it as blackmail material down the road?" Harry demanded to know.

Ranger uncrossed his legs and leaned forward a bit. "Harry, I'm not stupid and I'm not unreasonable. There is no way I'd put Stephanie's life back in danger by using these items against you. Her safety and well being is my ultimate concern. Also, I'd like to remind you that you and your men are the ones that started this whole mess. You by locking Vinnie in the basement at the bonds office and your men by withholding information from you when the basement had been breached. I've never had a beef with you and have never been cause for concern for you."

It took another ten minutes to work out the details of the trade. Harry insisted that Ranger go get Vinnie and drive to a specified location and then call for the address of the final destination. Once everything was agreed upon, Ranger and Tank were escorted out by the butler-body guard.

XXX

On the way back to RangeMan, Tank glanced over at Ranger who was driving. "While I enjoyed the jealous hissy fits, it was nice to see you back to your old self, Ranger. You never blinked, never raised your voice and got everything you asked for."

Ranger glared at Tank before turning his eyes back to the road. "You mention the jealousy thing again and you're going to show up at work one day and find a plaque on your door that says _Pierre __Sherman_.

"Plaques are made to be broken, Rangeman," Tank chuckled. "I can't wait to see the look on Vinnie's face when we turn him over to Harry."

Ranger gave one of his almost smiles. "I just hope everything goes off as planned. I think I covered all the bases."

"I guess we'll soon see," Tank said with a shrug. "However, we need to be prepared for anything and everything. After all, Stephanie is involved."

That got a laugh from Ranger. How true. Whenever his Babe was involved, it was almost impossible to prepare for every possible contingency.

**A/N - I'm so sorry this chapter was delayed and that it's on the short side, but hope you like it. I'm swamped with work right now, but hope to have the next chapter posted Thursday night. **


	21. Chapter 21

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_**"I guess we'll soon see," Tank said with a shrug. "However, we need to be prepared for anything and everything. After all, Stephanie is involved."**_

That got a laugh from Ranger. How true. Whenever his Babe was involved, it was almost impossible to prepare for every possible contingency.

**Chapter 21**

Ranger called the control room and told Vince to let Bobby, Lester, Cal and Ram know that he and Tank were on their way back, and that Ranger wanted them waiting in the conference room when he got there. "What are Junior and Zip doing right now?" Ranger asked.

"Junior is on monitor duty and Zip got roped into helping Rodriguez with some searches," Vince told him.

"Tell Zip to go down to the fourth floor to keep an eye on Vinnie and let Hal and Hector know I want them at the meeting."

When Ranger disconnected, Tank said, "Since I didn't see you leave the RangeMan building until we went to meet Harry, I assume you were just bullshitting him about the papers being in a safe deposit box."

"Not bullshitting," Ranger told him. "I never said they were in a safe deposit box at a bank." He quickly glanced at Tank. "Anything happens to me, you'll find what you need in the safe on the seventh floor."

"You don't really think Harry will go after you when this is finished, do you?"

Ranger shrugged. "It's hard to say what Harry will do. The more he thinks about it, the more pissed off and worried he's going to get. There's enough information in those files to send him to prison for several lifetimes. At his age, he'd never get out. He may decide to trust me, but he's going to be worried about Yashi and he's definitely going to run some plans through his head to see if any of them sound viable."

Tank sighed. "What's to stop him from turning this whole thing back around again? You know, kidnap Stephanie again in a week or so and then hold _you_ over a barrel, wanting to swap her for the paperwork?"

Ranger turned into the parking garage and pulled into his usual spot. "He knows I'd kill him."

Tank barked out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess he does."

XXX

Ranger called the meeting to order and filled everyone in on the agreement he'd made with Harry.

"This is how it will go down," Ranger started. "I'll be driving the Bronco with Tank in the front with me. Vinnie will be in the back seat and Bobby will be on the floor next to him.

"Lester will follow in one of the other trucks and Cal will be on the floor in the back seat.

Hal and Hector will be in a surveillance van working the comm lines and will be parked out of sight.

"Harry and I agreed we'd each only have two men with us. I don't believe he'll abide by that and I won't either, but, Bobby and Cal, you guys will need to keep your head down and stay out of sight unless something happens."

The guys nodded their understanding. "Everyone except Vinnie will be wired for sound. I expect Harry actually wants this over with as much as we do, but his men will be nervous about what Harry is going to do to them once things are wrapped up, so we need to stay alert and watch for anyone that might be trigger happy or ready fly off the handle."

Ranger went on to explain the rest of the details about the two swaps then asked if there were any questions. They spent another thirty minutes discussing things that could go wrong that may involve Stephanie and by the time they wrapped things up, they had thirty minutes until it was time for Harry to call with the first destination.

"Okay," let's get dressed and meet in the garage in thirty minutes."

The guys jumped up from the table and headed off to get ready and Ranger went to his office to do the same. Twenty-five minutes later, everyone was in the garage except Tank and Ranger, who were sitting in Ranger's office waiting for Harry's call.

The call came right on time and Ranger answered between the first and second ring. "Manoso," he said in a flat tone.

Forgoing a greeting, Harry jumped right in. "There's an old abandoned gas station off South Broad Street on your way to the Interstate ... "

"I know it," Ranger said cutting him off.

"Go there. It's less than fifteen minutes from your office building. I'll call you when you get there," Harry said, disconnecting.

Ranger and Tank hurried to the garage. "Every have an earpiece and mic?" Ranger asked.

Affirmative nods all around except for Vinnie who looked like he was going to piss himself. His knees were shaking so badly, Bobby had to help him into the Bronco.

Ranger quickly spoke to Hector and Hal about where they should park to stay out of sight on this first leg of the plan, then got into the Bronco. Tank was in the passenger seat and glanced back at Vinnie. "Most of the guys are betting you'll live," he told him.

Tank and Ranger could hear Bobby snort from the floor next to Vinnie and there was some chuckling coming from Lester, Cal, Hal and Hector who could hear him through their ear pieces.

Vinnie's eyebrows shot up and his eyes got wide? "What? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Tank shrugged as though it was no big deal. "There are a few that bet you'll do something stupid and get yourself killed. Personally, I'm betting that you'll keep your mouth shut, follow orders and live to see another day. It's up to you though."

Ranger knew there was no actual bet and that this was just Tank's way of making sure Vinnie didn't cause any problems. He glanced in the rear view mirror and almost barked out a laugh when he saw the look on Vinnie's face. He probably _would _have laughed if his mind wasn't so consumed with everything that could possibly go wrong with getting his Babe back.

He had complete confidence that this was an easy job, considering his skills and training, and he had complete confidence in his men. He didn't have confidence that something wouldn't go haywire and throw them all for a loop.

They were a half mile from the old gas station when Ranger saw the surveillance van turn off S. Broad as planned. Lester was right behind Ranger and parked next to him when they finally got to the parking lot of the old filling station.

Thirty seconds later, Ranger's cell phone rang. Harry gave him the final destination and hung up. Ranger repeated the information out loud so that all the guys could hear. Lester looked over from his truck and gave them a thumbs up. Hal and Hector checked in with a simple, "Got it."

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Tank glanced over at Ranger. "I don't recall any storage buildings in that area. Are they new?"

Ranger shook his head. "No. I know exactly the place he's talking about. They aren't public storage rentals. It's just a strip of three storage buildings on a large cement slab off the Interstate. You have to take the service drive to get to the entrance. I've always wondered who owned them, but never bothered to check it out. Now I know. I'm guessing Harry receives certain deliveries there."

Ranger glanced in his rear view mirror again to check on Vinnie. He hadn't said a word since Tank had teased him. He looked scared shitless.

He hoped his Babe wasn't scared. She could be pretty fearless most of the time and he hoped she was keeping the faith. He couldn't wait to see her and those big blue eyes again. Couldn't wait to hold her in his arms and assure himself that she was okay.

He had rescued her many times in the past, but this was the first time since they'd declared their love for each other. He was so much closer to being able to offer her a relationship and he was determined that nothing, not Harry the Hammer, nor anyone else was going to stand in his way. His contract to the government was over and each day, he spent a considerable amount of time making plans in his mind for how to keep her safe from his enemies.

Funny thing was, it was never his enemies that caused her to be in danger. This was a perfect case in point. He'd have to give that some more thought, but right now he had a job to do.

Fifteen minutes later, Ranger took an exit off the Interstate and wound around to the service drive. About a hundred yards ahead, he could see the storage buildings off to his right. He took the asphalt drive that led back to the buildings. A few feet past the third building stood Harry and two of his men. Nothing was showing outwardly, but Ranger could tell they were armed to the teeth. Behind them were two black SUVs like the ones they use at RangeMan. He had no doubt there were more men hiding inside the vehicles.

Ranger pulled up and parked about fifteen feet from them. He and Tank got out of the Bronco, then Tank helped Vinnie out and the three of them stood in front of the truck waiting for Harry to give the nod to his men to release Stephanie.

Harry quietly said something to one of his men and the man walked over and pulled up the bay door on the storage unit. About two minutes later, the man came back out and had Stephanie with him. Her hands were cuffed behind her but she looked fine other than being nervous.

She saw Harry and his men first, then glanced to her right and saw Ranger, Tank and Vinnie. She quickly surmised that there was going to be a trade and she gave Ranger a small smile.

Harry nodded toward Ranger and then told Stephanie she could go, telling her to walk slowly toward Ranger and not to try anything 'silly.'

Ranger told Vinnie to walk slowly toward Harry. Vinnie considered begging Ranger to keep him, but knew it wouldn't do any good. Slowly, on trembling legs, he headed toward his father-in-law. His eyes were glazed over and sweat was dripping down his forehead tickling his eyebrows. He didn't even glance as Stephanie as they passed each other.

When Stephanie reached Ranger, he turned her around and unlocked her cuffs, then turned her around again and pulled her against his chest. "Love you, Babe," he whispered against her ear. "I need you to get in the truck with Lester. Quickly, before anything goes wrong."

Stephanie looked at the truck behind the Bronco and for the first time saw Lester. He was sitting behind the wheel and smiled when she caught his eye. She gave him a quick finger wave.

Stephanie then looked behind her at Harry and his men. She turned back to Ranger and said, "What about Yashi?"

"Babe, first we need to get you out of there, then we'll be coming back to make a trade for Yashi."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed. "Coming back? You're planning on leaving him here with those goons that had us locked up?"

Ranger bent and kissed the top of her head. "It'll be okay, Steph. Harry and I have a deal worked out."

"I'm sorry, Ranger. I'm not leaving here without Yashi."

"Babe ..."

"No."

"Babe ... "

"No! I'm not going to do it."

"Is there a problem?" Harry asked from his side of the storage building.

Stephanie drug her eyes from Ranger and turned to face Harry. "I'll be right back," she told Ranger as she walked away.

Ranger reached for her arm, but Stephanie pulled away. "I just want to talk to him, Ranger. He won't let those goons hurt me."

As she started walking toward Harry, Ranger and Tank heard Lester through their ear pieces. "Fuck us! What the fuck is she doing?"

Ranger turned his head to the side a bit and covered his mouth with his fist as though he needed to cough. "Shut up and stay calm, Santos."

Stephanie reached Harry and gave him her sweetest smile. "Is there a problem, Ms. Plum?" Harry asked. His voice was on edge and his men were on alert in case this was a trick of some kind.

"Hello, Harry," she said cordially. "Thanks for releasing me."

"You're welcome, Ms. Plum. Shouldn't you be headed away from here now? You're making Mr. Manoso nervous."

Stephanie glanced behind her at Ranger and saw that he was wearing his blank face, but she could tell he was trying to visualize and plan for any and every possibility. She avoided looking at Ranger's eyes and turned quickly back to Harry. "I don't want to leave here without Yashi. He's my friend."

"Your friend will be released shortly. Once you're in a safe place of Mr. Manoso's choosing, he and I will make another trade and your friend will be released." _Christ_, Harry thought, suddenly recalling that nothing was ever easy when it came to Stephanie Plum.

"How can I be assured nothing will happen to him after I leave?" Stephanie wanted to know.

Harry groaned, not quite believing he was having to explain himself to this woman. "Ms. Plum, I can assure you that Mr. Manoso has something I'm quite interested in and I'm willing to swap Mr. Nakamura to get it. Now run along like a good girl."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at that last comment. Now she was getting pissed. "Fine. If he can't leave with me, then I want to say goodbye to him and personally let him know that we're not abandoning him."

Harry started to object, but Stephanie held up her hand. "It'll just take a minute. Sixty seconds for me to run back in the storage building and let him know he'll be released soon. Please don't make me walk away without saying goodbye to him."

Harry seriously wanted to roll his eyes, but he decided the sooner he let her say goodbye to Nakamura, the sooner she'd be gone and out of his hair.

"Fine. We'll be standing right here watching you so don't try anything funny, Ms. Plum, or this will all turn out very badly. You have sixty seconds."

Stephanie thanked him and ran inside the storage building.

Ranger felt his gut clench and thought he was going to have a heart attack. So close and yet so far from getting her out of here. He and Tank exchanged glances and then trained their eyes on the entrance of the building, waiting for her to come back out.

Stephanie hurried over to Yashi and pulled the gag from his mouth. "Yashi, I've got to go, but Ranger is coming back for you. He and Harry made a deal and ..."

"Steph, hush," Yashi said quickly, interrupting her. "I have to tell you something. Lean down to hug me and listen very carefully. It's important."

Stephanie leaned down with her ear close to Yashi's mouth and listened to what he had to say. Her eyes grew wide, but she memorized everything and nodded that she understood.

"Time's up!" one of Harry's men said a minute later. "Let's go."

Stephanie quickly hugged Yashi and made her way back outside. She thanked Harry and then hurried to the guys, walking right past Tank and Ranger and climbing in the SUV with Lester.

Lester started pulling out before she even had her seat belt fastened. "You okay, Beautiful?" he asked giving her a quick glance.

Stephanie held up her hand, indicating he shouldn't speak. "I need your cell phone, Lester," she said, holding out her hand.

Lester wondered who she needed to call that couldn't wait, but he didn't question her. He pulled his phone off his belt and handed it to her, as he turned onto the service drive to head back to the Interstate.

Stephanie punched a number into the phone and when a man answered on the other end she said, "The conference starts in ten minutes, where are you?" She disconnected and handed the phone back to Lester. "Thanks."

"What the fuck was that all about?" Les asked, thinking it sounded like some kind of code. This could not be a good thing.

Tank and Ranger had just gotten back into the Bronco to leave and heard Stephanie's call over Lester's mic. "Lester, what the fuck is going on?" Ranger demanded as he started pulling away from the storage area.

"Damned if I know," Lester replied. "I'm waiting for Stephanie to explain it to me."

Lester gave Stephanie a quick look. "Were all wired, Beautiful. Ranger heard the call you made and wants to know what's going on."

"Yashi is not who we thought he was," she said.


	22. Chapter 22

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_Lester gave Stephanie a quick look. "Were all wired, Beautiful. Ranger heard the call you made and wants to know what's going on."_

"Yashi is not who we thought he was," she said.

**Chapter 22 **

Before Stephanie could say anything else, Ranger told Lester to ask her not to give any more details until they were back at RangeMan. Then he told the whole group, "Meeting in the main conference room on the fifth floor as soon as we all get back."

"We have to make one stop," Stephanie told Lester.

"Beautiful, I don't think Ranger will allow it.

"Then I guess you can start figuring out right now who you'll want to have clean your truck because I have to pee! I don't even know how many hours I've been holding it, but it won't be but a minute or two longer."

Ranger spoke into his mic again. "There's a McDonald's not far down the Interstate on the right on your way back, Les. Better stop and let her go. Be sure to walk inside with her."

"Got it," Lester agreed.

"And tell her I'm calling Ella right now so there will be a hot meal waiting for her when she gets back."

"Bathroom break up ahead, Beautiful. And Ranger said to tell you Ella will have hot food waiting for you when we get back."

"Mmm, Ella food," Stephanie said, though it sounded more like a moan than actual words. "Thank you. What about dessert?"

Lester barked out a laugh. "Ranger," Lester said.

"I heard her," Ranger said with a chuckle. "Tell her I'm calling Ella back right now." His Babe had been kidnapped and held by a bunch of creeps. Having Ella provide dessert with her dinner was the least he could do.

"Why aren't Ranger and Tank following us?" Stephanie asked, looking in her side mirror. No one was behind them on the service drive. "Ranger stopped in front of the first storage building. I can see them still sitting there."

"The plan is for Ranger to stay there where he and Harry can keep an eye on each other until I get you to a safe place. We don't know that some of his goons won't try to follow us and get you back. I'll call Ranger when we get you back safely, and then he'll leave to pick up the items Harry wants and bring them back to trade for Yashi."

"No!" Stephanie almost shouted. "They have to leave. Yashi said ... well, Ranger doesn't want me to say what Yashi said, but Ranger and Tank have to leave."

"Shit!" Ranger said into his mic. "Les, ask her why we're supposed to leave."

Lester passed the question along to Stephanie.

"Ranger said I shouldn't talk about it until we get back. Does he want me to talk about it or not?"

"Tell her to go ahead," Les. "It sounds like this can't wait."

"Go ahead, Steph. Ranger wants to know what he said."

"Okay, well, I think ... I guess he's with the F.B.I. or at least he's working for them or with them. I think. Anyway, he told me to call the number he gave me and give that message to the man who answered. Then he said we should all get out of there and not come back because the F.B.I. will be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Fuck!" Ranger ground out. His mind immediately shifted to the files and boxes and crates that he and his men had illegally removed from the basement of the bonds office and were now sitting in the basement of _his_ building. Not only information on illegal activities that could put Harry away for the rest of his life, but illegal guns in the crates and equipment and supplies for making illegal I.D. cards, passports and documents in the boxes. Since Vinnie owned the building for so many years, they could very well charge him and throw him in prison as an accessory. Vinnie's only other choice would be to ask for a plea deal and then testify against his own father-in-law. What a fucking mess!

He wondered how long it would take the F.B.I. to find out about the stuff, if they didn't already know, and then how long it would take get a warrant to search RangeMan. Probably not long. Someone would talk. If not Vinnie, then one of the goons that worked for Harry.

"This is so not good," Lester said, pulling into the parking lot at McDonald's.

"Lester, you two get in and out of McDonald's as quickly as you can. I'm going to wait here another few minutes and then head back. As soon as Tank and I leave, Harry's men will be all over us, guns blazing. If we wait too long, the F.B.I. will catch us here."

"Got it," Lester said. "Timing is everything. Be careful and don't cut it too close, Rangeman."

"I'll try not to. I'll keep an eye on my side mirrors. Even though it's quite a ways away, I've got a clear view and should be able to see if any dark SUVs leave the Interstate and head for the service drive. Also, once you get Steph back to RangeMan, I don't want her leaving. I want the core team in the conference room when I get back. Everyone else should carry on, business as usual."

Exactly six minutes later, Ranger saw four dark blue SUVs turning from the exit toward the service drive. He glanced at Tank and said, "Company has arrived." He waited thirty more seconds, then made his way to the exit of the storage units and turned in the opposite direction. He'd head further down the expressway a bit, then double back and head to RangeMan.

They immediately heard the motors turn over on the SUVs Harry's men were in. They didn't have much of a head start, so this was going to be interesting. One advantage was that they had to do something with Yashi before they could leave or at least decide who should stay behind or close and secure the overhead door to the storage unit. Any of those things occuring would buy Ranger and Tank an extra minute or two. It was a good thing that he was Ranger Manoso, highly trained Army Ranger and military strategist, and they weren't.

Once they'd doubled back and were cruising down the Interstate back toward Haywood, they were able to look over and see that the F.B.I. had Harry's SUVs pulled over. They also saw a helicopter hovering overhead above the storage units. Ranger wondered what, if anything, Harry had inside those buildings.

"You haven't lost your touch," Tank said with a smile. "Perfectly executed, Rangeman."

XXX

When Ranger pulled into the underground garage at Rangeman, he was relieved to see Lester's truck and the surveillance van parked there.

Lester, Bobby and Stephanie were already in the conference room when he and Tank walked in. The men were drinking coffee and Stephanie was polishing off a serving of lasagna and a piece of chocolate cake.

Stephanie jumped up and hurried to Ranger who pulled her against his chest and held her tightly. "You okay, Babe?" he whispered against her hair.

She nodded against his chest. "I am now that you're back here safely."

Ranger chuckled. "Babe, you were the one who got kidnapped." He kissed her hair and loosened his hold on her a bit.

Steph leaned back to look at his face. "Yes, but you're the one who had to rescue me again and then stay behind with Harry's armed men and the F.B.I. ready to swoop in."

Ranger gave her a quick squeeze and then released her and guided her to a chair. "Speaking of all that, Babe, why don't you tell us everything that happened from the beginning up until you got in Lester's truck and made that call."

"We tried to get her to tell us while we were waiting for you," Bobby told him. "But she didn't want to have to repeat it all over again so she made us wait for you to get back."

"That's my girl," Ranger said with a smile. She hated explaining all the drama in her life as much as she hated having to give statements to the police.

Ranger sat down next to her with Tank on her other side and Bobby and Lester across the table, facing them. Stephanie told them the whole story from the time she'd received the phone call from Yashi. "By the way," she said, looking around the table. "Anyone know where my purse is?"

"Up in the penthouse," Tank told her. "We found it in a dumpster, but Ella cleaned it with some leather cleaner stuff and it looks good as new."

"Sweet. She's the greatest," Steph said.

"We all think Ella is the greatest," Lester agreed, but you still haven't told us exactly what Yashi said to you, Beautiful."

"Yes, I did. I told you when we were leaving the storage building. That was it. He said he had something important to tell me and that I should listen carefully. Then he gave me a phone number, told me what to say, then said we should all leave because the F.B.I. would be there soon."

Bobby spoke up then. "But he didn't specifically say he was with the F.B.I.?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No, but how else would he know they were on their way?"

"I guess we'll find that out later," Ranger said. "Right now, we have to figure out what to do next. Babe, can I talk to the guys alone for a few minutes?"

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "What's going on that you can't tell me?"

"Babe, listen. Do you want to have to answer questions from the F.B.I. about more than the things you already know?"

"No. I don't want to answer any questions at all."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have to at some point, but the less you know, the less you can tell them and you'll thank us for that later."

Steph thought that over for a minute and then stood to leave. "I need a shower and nap anyway, so I'm going to head upstairs. Will one of you drive me to the bonds office tomorrow to get my car, please?"

The guys all exchanged a look. "Bomber, I'm afraid Harry's men deposited your car in the river. It's a mess," Tank told her.

"Damn it! What's a girl have to do to keep a car for more than six months straight?"

"A girl has to not be named Stephanie Plum," Lester told her with a laugh."

She rolled her eyes. "What about Yashi's Mercedes?"

"We haven't seen it or heard anything about it," Ranger told her.

"Probably ended up in a chop shop five minutes after they took it," Bobby told her. "Yashi cars get chopped, Stephanie cars get slopped," he teased her.

Stephanie gave him a Burg glare before closing the conference room door on her way out.

Ranger looked at the guys. "We've got a problem on our hands having that shit downstairs," he told them. "We're going to have to get rid of it. If any of you would rather not be in on destroying F.B.I. evidence, speak up now and you can walk out of here. I won't hold it against you."

"I'm in," Lester said. "I can't believe you think we wouldn't help with this."

I'm in," Bobby said. "I agree with Les, you know we've always had each other's back. This is no different. We're not going to let you get rid of it on your own."

"You know I'm in," Tank said. "Never any question about it. Besides, it isn't F.B.I. evidence until they get their hands on it and they're not going to."

"I knew you guys were the best," Ranger said. "I've never doubted your loyalty, it's just that this could get really sticky. Now that everyone is in, this is what we need to do. Lester, I need you to break down all the guns. We'll figure out a place to dispose of all the parts. We'll dump then in two or three different areas. Don't leave any fingerprints. Bobby, I need you to load up the document making equipment and move it to safe house number twelve. That's some top of the line shit, even more up-to-date than ours. It'll come in handy some day. Tank, you and I need to take a couple shredders downstairs and start chewing up that evidence."

"Where is Fawn Hall when you need her?" Tank joked. "We should take the shredders downstairs in plain boxes so the other guys don't know what we're doing. The fewer questions everyone is able to answer, the better."

"Right," said Ranger. "We'll scramble the cameras down there while we're working. Have any of you spoken to the other guys about what's down there and where it came from?"

They all shook their heads no. "There was too much going on at the time," Lester said, "we didn't know where Steph was and that was the focus at the time. Besides, considering we were stealing from the mob, it just seemed prudent to keep it under wraps."

"That doesn't mean no one was curious and went down there," Bobby said.

"I took all the keys and changed the code," Ranger told them.

"That was good thinking," Tank said. "Hal had already left the bonds office with Vinnie before we started removing any of that stuff, but you did tell Vinnie that you were going to load it up and trade him and the stuff for Stephanie."

"Yeah, I could kick my own ass now," Ranger said. "It's not like me to spout off about my plans."

"There was no way we could have known this F.B.I. shit was going to crop up," Bobby told him by way of consolation. "We'll just deal with it. We can say we were going to come back for it after we got Stephanie back, but of course never got the chance. Someone else obviously took the shit. Probably some of Harry's men got tipped off or went back to check on Vinnie and when he was gone, they figured they should get that shit out of there."

"I like the way you think," Ranger said. "Everyone agree on that story?"

Tank and Lester nodded.

"Okay, let's grab something to eat and get to work," Ranger told them.

XXX

About two and a half hours later, the papers were shredded and disposed of, the gun parts had been buried in three different locations and Bobby had returned from hiding the document equimpment and supplies at the safe house.

There had been no word or visit from the F.B.I. and Ranger called together Hal and the guys who had been working when they brought Harry's stash of stuff into the building.

Ranger more or less just gave a short speech about the importance of keeping RangeMan business to themselves and reminded them that if they were ever questioned about RangeMan activities they should be sure to not volunteer any information that was not asked for or speculate on things when they didn't have the facts.

He could tell by their faces that they all got the point without him having to spell anything out for them. In other words, something was amiss and it was important. Keep your mouth shut and don't volunteer anything. He dismissed them and headed up to the seventh floor. He was tired and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with Stephanie.

He stood in the doorway to his bedroom for a few minutes just watching her sleep. After her shower, she'd dressed in a pair of light blue boy shorts and white tank top. She was sleeping soundly, her breathing slow and even.

There was no distress, no indication that she'd just been rescued from being kidnapped by mob henchmen. He'd never known anyone who could take things in stride the way Stephanie could. He also knew that part of it was she felt safe in his bed and that made him feel good.

Someday soon, he hoped she'd be in his bed for good. He felt safer with her there too. Not safe from physical harm the way she did. It was his heart and future that felt safe when she was there in his bed. All his adult life he assumed he'd grow old alone and never know the kind of love he felt for her. She changed everything without even trying.

He thought she loved him in spite of his dark past, but one night recently she told him she loved him because of it. That everything in his past had shaped him into the superhero he was today. He had to laugh at that, but the funny thing was, she meant it. She knew underneath it all, he was just a man, but to her he was Batman. He knew he'd always do his damnest to never let her down.

He pushed himself off the doorway and made his way to the bathroom to shower, then slid into bed beside her and gently pulled her against him. She hadn't complained about her ribs since they'd gotten her back and he wondered if they were still hurting her. If not, he had plans for her in the early morning hours and they didn't involve running five miles. He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes. "Love you, Babe," he whispered.

XXX

At two o'clock in the morning, Ranger was brought out of a peaceful sleep by the ringing of his cell phone. He reached over and grabbed it off the nightstand, hoping to answer it before it woke up Stephanie.

"Yo," he said, keeping is voice low.

"Ranger, this is Yashi. We need to talk."


	23. Chapter 23

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

_**At two o'clock in the morning, Ranger was brought out of a peaceful sleep by the ringing of his cell phone. He reached over and grabbed it off the nightstand, hoping to answer it before it woke up Stephanie.**_

"Yo," he said, keeping is voice low.

"Ranger, this is Yashi. We need to talk."

**Chapter 23**

Ranger quietly slid from the bed and stepped out of the bedroom into the hallway. "Where?"

"I'm at the Bridge Motel, room sixteen. You can pull around to the back so your car won't be seen from the road. I picked a motel so you wouldn't have to walk through a hotel lobby and be seen by anyone."

"Are you alone?" Ranger asked him.

"Yes."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Tank will be with me."

"That's fine," Yahsi told him. "I've met Tank several times when he's picked up files for RangeMan. Lula says you trust him implicitly."

"With my life," Ranger said as he disconnected.

He called Tank and told him to meet him in the garage in ten minutes. Stepping back into the bedroom, he dressed as quickly and quietly as he could.

Making his way to the kitchen, he left a note on the counter for Stephanie in case she woke up while he was gone.

He gathered his knife and utility belt then headed down to the fifth floor equipment room to get a bug detector. From there, he took the stairs down to the garage. Tank was waiting for him when he got there, but both waited until they were strapped into the turbo and on their way out of the garage before speaking.

Ranger told Tank about the call from Yashi.

"Interesting," Tank said, a frown creasing his forehead. "I wonder what he wants?"

Ranger didn't reply. He knew Tank wasn't expecting an answer. Both men kept an eye on their side mirrors to make sure they weren't being followed.

Once Ranger pulled into the motel parking lot, he drove around back then circled the building checking for any vehicles that looked like they might belong to either the F.B.I. or the mob. They still had no idea exactly how Yashi fit in with this whole mess. Whether he was a friend or foe remained to be seen.

Ranger parked two spaces down from room sixteen. He grabbed the bug detector from the back seat and he and Tank strode quickly to the door. Not willing to fall victim to a trap of some kind, each of them had a hand behind their back, ready to reach for their gun, if necessary. It wasn't that they were worried Yashi was tricking them on purpose, but there was always the chance that Harry's goons had gotten their hands on him again and forced him to make the phone call.

Tank rapped twice on the door and Yashi opened it immediately. He stepped aside to allow the large men to enter, then quickly closed and locked the door then slid the chain into place.

Without asking for permission, Tank pulled his gun and checked the bathroom and closet to make sure no one else was present while Ranger slowly walked the room scanning each area with the wireless wand from the bug detector.

"There won't be a bug," Yashi told him. No one knew I was coming here."

Without commenting, Ranger crossed the room and scanned Yashi with the wand.

"Oh," Yashi said quietly when it dawned on him that they thought he might be the one who had planted a bug in the room. "How's Steph?" he asked.

"Exhausted," Ranger told him, "and pissed off that another one of her cars was destroyed."

Yashi shook his head. "I heard about that. One of Harry's guys admitted dumping it in the river, but they claim they don't know anything about my Mercedes. I don't suppose you've heard anything?"

Ranger shook his head. "Chop shop is my best guess. Unlike Steph's car, yours was too valuable to end up in the river."

Finally, Ranger declared the motel room bug free and tossed the detector on the bed. He grabbed the small round table in the corner of the room and pulled it away from the window and each man grabbed a chair and settled in for their impromptu chat.

Yashi noted that each of them were wearing Kevlar vests so he set out to try to set their mind at ease right off the bat. "I'm not with the F.B.I." he told them.

"Then who are you?" Ranger asked.

"I'm exactly who you think I am. I'm an attorney, CFA and the owner of the bonds business. At the moment, the F.B.I. is using me as an informant, something I agreed to, but am not thrilled about."

"How did that come about," Tank asked him.

"I'll try to make a long story short," Yashi said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. "Right after college, I took a job with a well known financial firm. When I got home from work after my second day on the job, I pulled into my driveway to find an F.B.I. agent waiting to speak with me.

They were investigating the firm for a couple different things, one being money laundering. They wanted someone who was new to the firm to help them get inside information. They picked me, a new person, because they knew I wasn't involved in whatever was going on in the firm.

"I wasn't crazy about the idea, but the F.B.I. doesn't like to be told no, and I was pissed off that the firm I'd badly wanted to work for was likely dirty, so I agreed to help them.

The downside to being new was that it took a long time to get close to the right people. They were naturally cautious and tight lipped around anyone who was new or not in on their scheme. The investigation took two years once I agreed to help and the F.B.I. had already been working on it for a year. During the two years I helped them, I became pretty good friends with the agent who recruited me.

"We've stayed in touch over the years and are still friends. Anyway, as it turns out, his latest assignment revolves around Newark and Trenton mob members, Harry in particular. He's been gathering information and watching him for a few months now and was also casually watching Vinnie because Harry was the one that bankrolled the business for him.

"When a report came across his desk saying that Vinnie had sold the business, he saw my name as the buyer. He called me about three weeks ago asking if I'd help him out again. I really didn't want to get involved, but he's my friend and he wasn't above using that to guilt me into it," Yashi said with a smirk.

"What's his name," Ranger asked when Yashi stopped to take a breath.

"Brian Bishop."

Tank and Ranger exchanged a look, then Ranger returned his gaze to Yashi. "We know Brian," he told him.

"He's a good guy," Yashi responded. "How do you know him?"

"Sometimes the F.B.I. contracts RangeMan to pick up skips that have been arrested for federal crimes. People who have bonded out and crossed state lines and are FTA, but are not dangerous, making them a low priority for the F.B.I. Brian has been our contact on several white collar FTAs we've brought back into the system over the years."

Ranger looked at his watch, anxious to get to the point. "So, what did you want to talk to us about?"

Yashi blew out a long slow breath. "I'm not sure where to start. I'd like to help you without being disloyal to Brian and the F.B.I., but it's a fine line."

Ranger studied his face closely. "Why would you want to help me and what do you think I need help with?"

"I'm not doing this for you," Yashi said honestly. "I'm doing it for Stephanie."

"Stephanie is an innocent victim in all this," Ranger pointed out.

"Exactly," Yashi agreed. "She's been victimized once and I don't want to see her hurt again which is what will happen if you have something to hide and the F.B.I. finds out."

"What makes you think I have something to hide?" Ranger knew they were playing a game of tag, neither one wanting to say more than they had to. He wanted to find out what Yashi and the F.B.I. knew.

"I went back to the bonds office earlier this evening and saw that most of the stuff that had been in the basement is gone."

"Harry probably had his goons move it," Ranger said flatly.

"Maybe," Yashi said. "Harry's men are pointing the finger at each other, and Harry is keeping his mouth shut on the advice of his lawyer. The thing is, before Stephanie left with you guys, she told me you were coming back to trade something to Harry for my release."

Ranger didn't comment on the trade issue. "What is Vinnie saying?"

Yashi smiled for the first time since Tank and Ranger arrived. "Vinnie is missing."

"Explain," Ranger ordered.

"When Harry's men saw you drive away, they panicked. One of them grabbed Harry and shoved him inside one of the trucks. The other guy ran and climbed up into the driver's seat. The guy that helped Harry into the truck was afraid they were going to take off without him, so he shoved Vinnie into the storage building and yanked the door down, but didn't take time to lock it. Vinnie waited for a minute after we heard them pull away, then opened the door. The coast was clear, so he took off and ran into the weeds toward the trees. They haven't been able to find him."

Ranger raised an eyebrow and Tank barked out a laugh. "I swear," Tank said. "Vinnie reminds me a bit of Stephanie. He continually gets himself into crazy situations, but always gets out of them somehow."

Yashi smiled again. "There was a mention of bringing in tracking dogs, but that was quickly vetoed. He's not the one they're after anyway, so they decided against the expense of calling in dogs. Budget cuts everywhere, you know. I don't know if you saw the helicopter before you left, but the pilot did a few sweeps of the area looking for him, but didn't spot him. If they feel they'll need his testimony, they'll track him down.

"As far as the stuff in the basement goes, it's possible the F.B.I. won't put a lot of effort into finding it. There were still quite a few records and ledgers in the filing cabinets and one of the storage buildings had enough illegal contraband to put Harry away for a long time. Harry and the four men that were with him are still in custody, but probably won't be formally charged until tomorrow. The F.B.I. is making the list of charges as long as they can to make sure some of them stick. The last I talked to Brian, he said they had a warrant and were searching Harry's home and property."

"I have one other question," Ranger said, looking directly into Yashi's eyes. "When you found Vinnie in the basement, why didn't you call Brian or the police instead of Stephanie?"

A look of regret darted across Yashi's face. "Believe me, I wish I would have. That was actually my first plan. I told Vinnie I was going to call the police, though I was actually going to call Brian, but he went crazy. Then, as he was explaining things to me, he told me Stephanie was his cousin. I didn't want to call Brian on one of her family members until I'd given her a chance to talk to him."

"You're very protective of Stephanie," Ranger said. "Why is that?"

Yashi looked away for a minute and then looked back at Ranger with a shrug. "Stephanie reminds me of someone I used to know. She just does something to me. She acts all tough, but inside she's ... innocent and vulnerable and soft hearted. She only wants the best for the people she cares about as well as people she's never met. She didn't hesitate to help that little girl the other day. She just jumped right in and risked her own safety for someone she didn't even know. It makes me want to put a bubble around her so no one can hurt her."

Ranger knew that feeling all too well. It was a good thing Yashi was gay because if he were straight, he'd probably be in love with Stephanie by now and Ranger would have to kill him.

Ranger stood up and stretched. "So, you're free, Stephanie is home sleeping, Vinnie escaped to God only knows where, and Harry and his men are locked up. I can't think of anything else we need to talk about."

Yashi tried to read Ranger's face, but it was an impossible task. The man gave nothing away.

Yashi and Tank stood up at the same time. "Okay," Yashi said. "I hope you don't feel I wasted your time tonight by calling you to come over here." He was pretty sure Ranger knew where the missing stuff was, but it was probably a secret he'd take to his grave.

"Not at all," Ranger said, walking over to pick up the bug detector. "I appreciate your concern and the fact that you filled us in on what's going on."

Yashi walked them to the door and opened it. Tank and Ranger stepped outside, quickly scanning the area, but saw nothing amiss. Ranger turned back to him. "How'd you get here? You need a ride?"

"Nah." Yashi nodded his head toward a light blue Lexus in the parking lot. "I had Brian drop me off at a rental agency earlier. I'm all set, thanks."

Ranger gave him a brief nod and he and Tank walked to the turbo. Ranger pulled to the side of the motel and put the car in park, then leaned over, opening the glove compartment. He pulled out a tracker and handed it to Tank.

Tank barked out a laugh, took the tracker and opened his door. "I was wondering what the hell was up when you were playing nice guy and offering him a ride. You just wanted to find out what he was driving."

Ranger pretended to be offended. "I am a nice guy," he said with a smirk. "I'll prove it by covering your ass while you're putting that tracker on his car."

Less than five minutes later, Tank was back in the turbo. "So, what do you think?" the big man asked.

Ranger gave a slight shrug. "He's either a really good liar or he's completely telling the truth."

"I hear ya," Tank agreed. "I kept watching for any signs that he was lying, but he didn't exhibit any."

The corner of Ranger's mouth tilted up. "Can you believe Vinnie got away?"

Tank chuckled. "Yes, actually I can. Wonder where that bastard went and when he'll show back up again."

"I wouldn't expect to see him any time soon unless Harry gets convicted," Ranger said.

"Yeah, and his lawyers will draw things out as long as they possibly can if it looks like things are going south for old Harry. They'll be filing motions for delays and anything else they can think of."

XXX

Twenty minutes later, Ranger was slipping back into bed. He reached over and gently pulled Stephanie close to him and smiled when she gave a soft moan and snuggled herself against him. He was happy that she was still sleeping peacefully in spite of everything that had happened.

He figured someone from the F.B.I. would be there the next day to take her statement and she'd be in less of a foul mood if she had a good night's sleep.

Tomorrow night he'd offer to take her out to dinner and maybe a movie. He'd rather take her dancing, but her ribs were probably still too sore for that. He loved taking her places and spending time with her and felt heavy with regret that he'd wasted so much time trying to keep her from getting too close.

He breathed in the scent of her hair and skin, then closed his eyes. His dreams were filled with plans on how to keep her safe so they could soon start their someday.


	24. Chapter 24

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 24**

The next morning about 10 a.m., Brian Bishop arrived at RangeMan unannounced. This was expected since the F.B.I. prefers the surprise generated by not phoning ahead.

Ranger had Vince escort Brian to the conference room on the fifth floor and then Ranger joined him there a few minutes later.

"Brian, good to see you," Ranger greeted him when he walked into the room.

Brian rose from his chair and stuck his hand out to shake Ranger's. "How the heck have you been, Ranger?"

"Great," Ranger told him. "Everything okay with you?" They really were not close friends, but had always been on friendly terms. Ranger made it a point to be extra cordial to Brian so he'd be in a good mood when he questioned Stephanie. He glanced at the counter at the back of the room and saw that Vince had started a pot of coffee dripping and it was just finishing up.

"Coffee?" Ranger offered.

"Sure, black."

Ranger poured out two cups of coffee and set one on the table in front of Brian, then settled into the chair at the head of the table, adjacent to the F.B.I. agent. "How's Marianne?"

Brian smirked and unconsciously turned the wedding band on his left hand. "She filed for divorce last month," he admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Brian. I had no idea."

The agent shrugged his right shoulder. "It's okay. Well, as okay as it can be. It's not me she hates, it's the job and the hours. We'll probably get along a lot better if we divorce. Who knows, maybe she'll date me," he said with a small laugh.

"I hope so. If that's what you want," Ranger said. He knew exactly how it felt to have the kind of job that made it hard to have a relationship. "Maybe she'll fall in love with you all over again," Ranger offered.

"That'd be nice, Brian said softly. "Anyway, enough about me. I'll jump right in here, Ranger. I need you to explain your part in all this shit with Harry."

Ranger looked directly into Brian's eyes and didn't hesitate. "My men and I were looking for Stephanie. She'd disappeared and her car was found dumped in the river. We were searching the bonds office for clues and found a trap door. Vinnie Plum was down there, handcuffed and chained to some pipes. I released him and asked him to explain why he was down there."

Brian nodded that he was following thus far.

"When I realized Harry was the one holding Vinnie captive, I called him. He claimed he didn't know his men had taken Stephanie and Yashi from the bonds office. We arranged a trade and I took Vinnie to him in exchange for Stephanie. Right after one of my men drove away in his truck with Stephanie safely inside, I saw your vehicles turn off the exit and head toward the service drive. Four dark blue SUVs that screamed F.B.I. Tank was with me and we took off in the opposite direction, doubled back, and returned to RangeMan."

"That's it?" Brian ask doubtfully.

"Unless I'm forgetting something, that's it."

Brian chuckled a little. "Ranger, we both know you have a mind like a steel trap and don't forget anything." He took a couple sips of his hot coffee and said, "What all did you see in the basement when you were releasing Vinnie?"

Ranger gave a slight shrug. "There were three filing cabinets, gray metal, each with three drawers and two small desks."

"That's it?"

"That's what I recall seeing," Ranger told him.

Brian drummed his fingers on the table top for a minute while studying Ranger's face, but it was like the man was wearing a blank mask. It gave away nothing. "Suppose I ask Ms. Plum what was down there when she was there and she tells me that there were other items?"

Ranger gave another of his barely there shrugs. "It's entirely possible," he conceded. A lot of time passed from when Stephanie was taken until I found Vinnie in the basement. Harry's men had plenty of time to move things out, if indeed there were other things to be moved."

Brian knew that no matter what, Ranger would stick to his story and he also knew that if Ranger and his men had taken anything from the basement, it would never be found if Ranger didn't want it found. "Is Stephanie here?" he inquired.

"Yes, she's working on some searches in her office. Are you ready to speak with her?"

"Yes, might as well get it over with so I can get out of here. I have an appointment with the Attorney General in a couple hours."

Brian expected Ranger to leave the room to go get Stephanie in order to coach her on what to say, but that didn't happen. No doubt they'd already discussed it. Ranger flipped open his phone and called her. "Babe, Agent Bishop is here and would like to speak with you. Can you come to the conference room?"

"Do I have to?" Stephanie asked, already knowing the answer.

"It would be for the best," Ranger told her, avoiding telling her that she _had_ to do anything. "There's nothing to worry about, Babe. Just come answer his questions and tell the truth."

"Be there in a minute, Batman," she said with a sigh, disconnecting before Ranger could.

Ranger looked at his phone before closing it. It wasn't like Stephanie to hang up without saying goodbye. As a matter of fact, she hated it when he and his men did it. It was a sure sign that she was nervous and distracted. She had nothing to fear since she'd done nothing wrong, but she'd always hated having to answer questions from the police.

Brian grinned at Ranger. "Babe? Is that in reference to her looks or are you two an item?"

"She's a beautiful woman and she's off limits, Bishop," Ranger said without smiling.

That made Brian laugh out loud. "Relax, Ranger. I'm happy for you. I'd always pegged you as a Lone Ranger, kind of guy. Excuse the pun." He picked up his coffee cup and drained it.

When Stephanie walked in the room, her eyes immediately sought out Ranger's, then she glanced at Brian. Both men looked calm and relaxed and Ranger even gave her a small smile. That made her feel better and when she slipped into the chair next to Ranger, he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle, but firm squeeze.

Brian watched the two of them with mild interest. She certainly was a beautiful woman and he wondered how serious things were between them. Judging by the way they looked at each other and the current of electricity that flowed between them, it was pretty damn serious.

Ranger reached out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear and said, "Babe, this is Special Agent Brian Bishop with the F.B.I. Brian, this is Stephanie Plum our research expert."

Stephanie couldn't hide her small smile at Ranger's compliment, but she turned her eyes to Brian and pulled her hand from Ranger's so she could reach across the table and shake hands with the agent. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"You too, Ms. Plum." Looking at Ranger, he asked if he could speak to Stephanie alone.

Ranger deferred the question to Stephanie. "I'll be fine," she told him. She would prefer he stayed, but she didn't want to seem like a big baby. All she needed to do was answer some questions. And, if things did get hairy, she could always ask him to come back in.

Ranger stood and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I'll be in my office if you need me, Steph." He gave Brian a warning look that said, _don't mess with her or else _... then headed for the door.

Stephanie judged Brian to be in his early forties. It was hard to tell his exact height since he was sitting, but she guess he was close to six feet tall. He had a lean build and was a good looking man. His hair was light brown, cut short, and his eyes were the same shade of green as Lester's.

Once they were alone, Brian started asking her questions, but not about Vinnie or Harry or what happened. He asked how old she was, where she grew up, how long she'd known Ranger, how long she'd worked at Rangeman and a few other background questions. Finally, he got to the point and asked her to explain what happened the night she disappeared, from the time Yashi called and asked to come to the bonds office until the day she was driven away from the storage buildings.

Brian studied Stephanie as she explained the ordeal. He could see why Manoso was in love with her. Sitting still, she was beautiful to look at, but once she started talking, she was even more so. As she spoke, her eyes either twinkled or sparked depending on the information she was sharing and her face was animated throughout. She also used hand gestures a lot which amused him. His soon to be ex wife was Italian and couldn't speak without using her hands.

When she finished speaking, Brian said, "What all did you see in the basement at the bonds office?"

"I didn't pay a lot of attention," she told him truthfully. "I remember a couple desks, some filing cabinets and a few boxes against the wall. That's about it."

"Boxes? How many boxes?" He was surprised to hear her admit that she saw things Ranger hadn't mentioned. He gave them credit for not concocting a matching story.

Stephanie shrugged. "I didn't count them. Maybe six or eight."

"Did you look inside any of them?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Number one, I wouldn't do that. It wasn't my stuff. Number two, I wasn't down there that long. I'd just started to talk to Vinnie when Harry's men came pounding down the stairs with their guns pulled."

"How many filing cabinets?"

"I'm not sure," she told him honestly. "Two or three. It was sort of dark down there. Just a couple of night lights."

Stephanie shifted in her chair and sat up straighter, reaching her hand behind her to press her fingers into her back just above her waistline.

"Back problem?" Brian asked.

"I bruised my ribs about a week ago and they're still sore. It's hard to find a comfortable way to sit. I find myself slouching a bit and then my back starts to hurt."

"Been there, done that," he said sympathetically. "How'd you do it?"

Stephanie gave him a brief accounting of her skirmish with the man who'd tried to kidnap little Emily DeCamp.

Brian's eyes grew wide. "That was you?" he asked with astonishment.

"Yes. You sound shocked."

"I guess I am," Brian told her, shaking his head. "I never really have time to read the paper much these days, but I did hear about it through the F.B.I. grapevine. The version I heard was just that some woman took him down and he ended up with a bullet in his throat. I guess I pictured someone bigger and tougher looking," he admitted.

"Sorry to disappoint," Steph said with a small smile.

"Ha! No disappointment here." He leaned forward crossing his arms on the table. "Have you heard about his past?"

"Some of it. I heard he was an ex con and on the list of registered sex offenders."

"Guy was a disgusting piece of shit. Excuse my language. I arrested him several years ago as part of a sting operation on a group that was distributing child porn videos. He used his own six year old niece in some of that filth. He was looking at fifteen years, but cut a deal and was sentenced to three, then only served two. You couldn't have shot a creepier guy if you'd been looking for one."

Stephanie's eyes widened. "I don't know what you heard, but I didn't shoot him. I knocked the gun out of his hand and it went off when it hit the ground. I'm glad he's gone, but I can't take any of the credit."

"As far as I'm concerned, the full credit goes to you and I personally thank you. I wanted the book thrown at that guy, but dead is even better. A lot of little girls are safer with that scumbag gone."

Steph just nodded in agreement.

"I appreciate your time, Ms. Plum. I don't believe I have any more questions for you."

Stephanie was shocked. She knew he had three pages of questions on the table in front of him. She had a feeling that he wasn't even close to getting all his questions answered until he realized who she was. Fine by her. She didn't want to answer more questions anyway.

"How is Yashi today?" she asked him.

Brain gathered up his papers and slid them into his briefcase. "I haven't seen him yet today, but I'm meeting him for dinner tonight. He was fine when I talked to him last night." He rose from his chair smiling at her. Yashi had told him Stephanie was an incredible woman, but at the time, he didn't know how true those words were. She was smart, beautiful, well spoken, had rescued a little girl from a sex offender and came through a kidnapping by mob goons with no apparent emotional trauma. Manoso was a lucky man.

Stephanie stood and walked out the door with him, shaking his hand goodbye in the hallway. "Did you want to speak with Ranger again before you leave?"

Brian shook his head. "Nope, I believe I'm done here. Tell him I said goodbye if you would."

"Of course," Stephanie said. "Let me walk you to the control room so one of the guys can see you out." She knew protocol needed to be followed, even for someone from the F.B.I. Maybe especially so.

XXX

When Stephanie got back to her office, there were new flowers from Ranger. On her desk was a heavy etched glass cylinder stuffed with beautiful white Casablanca lilies. The arrangement was breathtaking and she couldn't help but smile.

Ranger had changed a lot in the time they'd been seeing each other. Or, maybe he'd just been hiding this side of himself. She wasn't sure which it was, but she was enjoying every minute of being with him. Not a day went by now that she didn't see him smile and hear his laughter. He was a badass when he needed to be, and tender and romantic when he wanted to be.

He was very affectionate toward her, but that came as no surprise. She knew he'd always enjoyed touching her. She had a hard time keeping her hands off him too, but showed a lot of restraint in front of his men. Once they were alone though, all bets were off. He was the perfect lover and always seemed to be able to sense her mood, instinctively knowing when she wanted to be playful, sensing when she wanted to kick things up a notch and go at it hot and heavy, and finally, when it was time to slow things down with gentle strokes and whisper soft kisses.

It seemed he was able to work through the initial jealousy he'd felt toward Yashi and she was thankful for that. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she felt happier. He was her best friend, her protector, her sounding board, her number one cheerleader and her perfect lover. She was truly blessed and she knew it.

She smiled at the flowers again and picked up her cell phone to send him a text. _The lilies are beautiful. You spoil me._

A minute later, her phone chirped when his reply came through. _I've only just begun to spoil you. Te amo. Dinner out tonight? _

Steph thought about it for a split second. Dinner out was tempting, but dinner on seven with Ranger sounded better. _Only if you insist. I'd rather be alone with you upstairs._

Normally, Ranger hated texting, but he loved texting with Steph. It was like foreplay. _Wonderful. We can play naked Twister._

Stephanie snorted at that message. _I don't think so. Will you settle for a movie and popcorn?_

A minute later, another text reply came through. _We're sorry. The number you have reached cannot handle rejection. Please try again later._

That message made her laugh out loud. She slid her phone into her pocket and made her way down the hallway to his office. She knocked softly, then opened the door and walked in.

Ranger looked up and flashed her a big smile. "Did my pitiful act work?" He looked hopeful.

She crossed the room and he gently pulled her down on his lap. "My ribs are not ready for naked Twister, but the movie and popcorn offer still stands."

They stared at each other for several longs seconds. "Well?" Stephanie finally asked.

"I'm waiting for the offer of a rain check on the Twister," he said.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Boy, once you get something in your mind, you're relentless."

"I learned from the best," he said with a grin, pinching her ass.

She squealed, then gave an exaggerated huff. "Fine. I'll give you a rain check, but only because you're so hot when you're naked. And because I like you. And love you. And because you're so nice to me. And because you're the sexiest man I know and because you put up with me. But those are the _only _reasons!"

They were both laughing now and Ranger wished like hell her ribs were better. He decided he needed to think about something else. "Babe, with everything that's happened, you haven't forgotten about the dinner with the DeCamps, have you?"

"No, I haven't forgotten," she said, snuggling into his chest. "Aren't you going to ask how my meeting with Brian went?"

"I already know how it went. He called me before he reached the lobby."

Stephanie looked surprised. "I asked him if he wanted to speak with you before he left and he said no."

"He needed to get to a meeting, but wanted to let me know he plans on trying to wrap things up with Harry with as little involvement from us as possible. You have a fan for life, Babe. Sending Curtis Brown to his grave after he tried kidnapping little Emily has put you in his good graces."

Stephanie thought about that for a minute. "That seems kind of weird, but I'm thankful. I hope it means we won't have to testify in court. And, I guess it's a real plus having an F.B.I. agent on our side."

Ranger kissed the top of her head. "On your side, Babe. Just another member of the male species you have wrapped around your little finger now."

Stephanie snorted. "Oh yeah, like the list is so long."

Ranger knew better. His men were all on that list as were Yashi and her father. Joe was on the list too. Even though they were no longer a couple, he'd most likely still do anything Stephanie asked of him. Ranger of course was at the top of the list. He doubted he could ever say no to her unless it was something that would put her in danger.

"By the way, Babe, I have good news and bad news."

"Tell me the good news first, Ranger, in case I need to go find a piece of chocolate cake after the bad news."

Ranger chuckled and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I told Tank and Bobby and Lester about your idea for a RangeMan supply store and they loved it. Especially Lester. He said he could live inside a place like that. He said Hector will love it too and will want to help with ordering inventory. And, in addition to them loving it, Tank said that this building, actually this whole block, was re-zoned for retail sales last November. You can open it right here on the first floor."

Stephanie straightened up a bit and winced as she reached up to put her arms around Ranger's neck. "That's wonderful! I'm so excited. Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"I'm more than okay with it, Babe. I think you'll make a big success of it and the guys in Atlanta, Boston and Miami will most likely be begging you to open stores in those buildings too."

Stephanie frowned. "Is that the bad news?"

Ranger laughed. "No, Babe. Expansion is a good thing. The bad news is, I was planning to let you present the plan to the guys at the next meeting, since it's your idea, then I went and opened my big mouth. I'm sorry. I was just so impressed by it, I couldn't wait to tell them."

Stephanie's eyes grew wide and her heart swelled at the thought of Ranger being so impressed with her plan that he couldn't keep it to himself. He always believed in her and never failed to tell her when he was proud of her. She loved him so much. "It's okay, Ranger. I don't mind that you told them. I am kind of shocked that you couldn't keep it a secret though. I thought you were the best at keeping secrets."

Ranger shrugged. "I can be, if I need to, but yours is such a fantastic idea. I think all the guys will be excited about it and I'll definitely let you tell the rest of them at the next meeting."

"Thank you, Ranger. For believing in my idea and having faith in me that I can make it a success."

He kissed her forehead. "You're welcome, Babe. I have another secret if you want to know about it."

"Okay, tell me."

"This morning when I woke up, I looked over at you and you looked so beautiful you took my breath away. I lifted up your t-shirt and was playing with your breasts while you slept. I couldn't help myself."

"Geeze, Ranger!" Stephanie felt her face infuse with color. "Maybe you should keep some secrets to yourself!"

Ranger threw his head back and laughed. "Babe, how can you be such a wildcat in bed and then turn red as a beet when I say things like that?"

Not willing to look at his face, she just shrugged against his chest. "I don't know. I guess it's because you turn me into a wildcat and I can't help myself. But ... but this is broad daylight in your office. Sheesh!"

Ranger laughed again. "I love you, Babe."

Stephanie pressed a kiss to his chest. "I love you too, pervert. Let's go upstairs and find something for lunch. Oh, and I need that chocolate cake now and I want to call Yashi to see how he's doing."

Ranger was fine with the lunch idea, the chocolate cake and even having her check on Yashi. Maybe he was past this jealousy thing for good, he thought with relief.

XXX

The night of the banquet dinner with the DeCamps arrived and Stephanie was going through her closet trying to pick out something to wear. Most of her clothing was still in her apartment, but more and more things were slowly ending up at Ranger's and she had a feeling that's where the navy pumps with the three inch heel were. Oh well, black would do just as well.

She showered, shaved and smoothed some peaches and cream scented lotion over her skin, then dressed in a navy blue and white suede patchwork skirt and white blouse. The nights were getting cooler so she grabbed a black sweater to take with her.

When she got to RangeMan, the DeCamps were already there and she found Ranger and Tank with them in the conference room. The room had been transformed into a banquet room. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and there were beautiful centerpieces and candles on each table. At the back of the room, the caterers were setting out the warming trays with a ton of delicious looking food.

Ranger introduced her to the DeCamps. Jack and his wife, Leslie, gave her a warm greeting and thanked her over and over again for helping Emily. Emily smiled shyly at her and gave her a drawing she'd made. It showed a woman standing next to a small girl and the woman was wearing a superhero cape.

Stephanie was a little embarrassed by all the attention, but she gave Emily a hug and told he how happy she was to see her.

Soon the room was filled with her friends and family. Yes, she'd finally decided it wouldn't be very nice to not invite them, so her mom, dad and grandma Mazur were all there.

There was a podium at the front of the room and Leslie DeCamp made her way to it and asked everyone to please take a seat.

She introduced herself and pointed out her husband and Emily in their seats. She told everyone the events of the day that Emily was almost kidnapped, though most everyone there knew at least some of what had occurred.

Once she finished the story, she invited Stephanie to come up to the podium. When Stephanie reached her side, Leslie handed her a wooden plaque with a flat silver insert declaring her a hero, then she handed Steph a large envelope. Looking at the crowd of people in the room, Leslie said, "A little birdie told me Stephanie likes to shop, so Jack and I are hoping these gift cards will keep her busy for quite some time."

There was a cheer from all of Stephanie's friends and family as well as all the DeCamp relatives. Stephanie could feel the color creep into her face, but took it in stride in the spirit in which it was intended. She thanked the DeCamps and was relieved when Leslie announced that everyone should help themselves to the food and beverages.

After everyone had eaten, someone turned on the speakers for the sound system and music began to play. The guys pushed some of the tables against the wall to make an area to dance. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and even grandma Mazur was on her best behavior.

Stephanie leaned over and gave Ranger a kiss on his cheek. "I'm going to go chat with Lula and Connie for a few minutes, if you don't mind."

"Sure, Babe." Tank and Bobby were sitting next to him and she knew they never ran out of things to talk about, even if it was only business.

When Stephanie reached Connie and Lula, Connie grabbed her arm and pulled her down into a chair. "We want to know what gift cards you got?" she asked excitedly.

Stephanie laughed. Of course that would be the main topic of conversation. "I didn't look through them all, but when I peeked the envelope, I saw one for Macy's, one for GAP and one for Victoria's Secret."

"We're going shopping with you, you know that, don't you?" Lula asked.

"Without a doubt," Stephanie told her with a smile. "I'll buy lunch."

On the other side of the room, Ranger's cell phone rang. He pulled it off its clip and froze when he saw the name on the Caller I.D. His face was grim when he tilted the phone for Tank to see the readout.

"Oh, hell no," Tank said. "No f'ing way. Your contract is up. You tell that bastard you don't care if someone is after the president, you're done."

Ranger rose from his chair and flipped open the phone as he walked to the doorway to step out into the hallway. "General," he answered in a flat tone.

As he was listening to the General, he noticed that Tank and Bobby had followed him out. They were both making gestures that Ranger should cut the General off and just hang up.

When the General got done speaking, Ranger said, "Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you, sir. I appreciate the information." He snapped his phone shut and turned to hurry back into the room.

Bobby and Tank exchanged a _what the hell _look when Ranger just hurried away without explaining what the call was about.

Ranger scanned the room looking for Stephanie and called her name when he spotted her. She looked up and smiled at him, then her eyes grew big as she saw him rush through the room. He was dodging tables and people and even jumped over a chair like he was jumping hurdles at a track meet.

When he finally stopped in front of Stephanie, he reached out his hand. "Babe, I need to talk to you right away."

"Now?" Stephanie asked, rising from her chair.

"Yes, it's important." He grabbed her hand and quickly led her from the room. They took the elevator to the seventh floor and he fobbed them into the penthouse.

As soon as Ranger closed the door, he pulled Stephanie into his arms and kissed her senseless.

When they finally broke apart, she didn't know what to think. Ranger seemed a little nervous, but not in a bad way. He was almost excited. "Ranger, what's going on?"

"Babe, a miracle happened today. I just got a call from General Benson ... "

Stephanie's hands flew to her mouth and she interrupted him. "No! No, they need to leave you alone. It's not fair, you're not under contract any more."

Ranger pulled her close again and kissed her forehead. "No, Steph, he had good news. Have a seat and let me explain," he said, taking her hand and guiding her over to the couch. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"Steph, you know that my biggest concern about having a relationship with you is your safety. I made a lot of enemies over the years on missions I was sent on all over the world."

Stephanie leaned into him and nodded her head against his chest.

Ranger continued. "After we met, I actually made a list of enemies I already had and then started adding any new enemies that I made and crossing off ones that were no longer a threat for whatever reason. The longest the list has ever been at any one time was twelve. Twelve ruthless men who would love nothing more than to see me dead or hurt the people I love.

"Over the past couple years, the list has been shrinking. I can't tell you names or countries, but one of the twelve was executed by his own government. Another died of a heart attack in his forties. Two were killed in a bombing in the Middle East. One died of cancer about six months ago, another was killed in a car accident and yet another was shot by members of his own gang who turned on him."

The more Ranger spoke, the more excited he became. He was almost breathless and stopped to take a few deep breaths before continuing. "The General called tonight to tell me about a big drug deal that went bad last night. Two of the men on my list are rival drug lords and when things went bad last night, there was a big shootout. Seven men were wounded and six others died. The two drug lords were among the dead.

"Babe, do you know what this means?"

Stephanie bit her bottom lip. "It means their poor mothers are going to be devastated and completely embarrassed?"

Ranger barked out a laugh. "Very funny, Steph. It means that we can start our someday. There are only three enemies left on my list and two of them are not even allowed in this country. They are on every watch list you can imagine. Steph, I think it will be so much easier to keep you safe now. Babe, we can have a relationship now!"

Stephanie didn't mean to ... she actually pressed her face harder against him so he couldn't hear her chuckling, but he felt her laughter vibrating against his chest. "Babe," he said, his voiced laced with worry. "You think this is funny? I thought you'd be happy."

She raised her head to look at him. "Ranger, I'm sorry I laughed. You're just so cute I couldn't help it."

Frown lines creased Ranger's forehead as he stared into Stephanie's eyes. What in the world was she saying?

Stephanie watched as several emotions played out across Ranger's face. She could tell the wheels were turning in his head, trying to pinpoint just what she thought was so amusing. She knew the exact moment the truth dawned on him. His eyes widened and he blinked.

"Holy hell," he said quietly. "We've been in a relationship for almost three months, haven't we?" He studied her face for a moment and then a small smile settled on his full lips. "I think I've been hoodwinked."

Stephanie grinned. "I can't remember the last time I actually heard someone use the word hoodwinked," she said. "And you weren't hoodwinked. I asked you if you were sure this was what you wanted and you said it was," she told him, smiling up at his gorgeous face.

Ranger lowered his forehead to hers. "You did, Babe, and it was the best agreement we've ever made." He wanted to ask her right then and there to marry him, but he remembered the promise he'd made her that it would be a unique proposal that had never been done before. That would take some planning. Plus, the DeCamps and their friends were probably wondering what happened to them. "I suppose we should get back downstairs," he said.

"I suppose we should," Steph agreed. "But, I don't think we should overstay our welcome down there. My ribs are feeling good enough to celebrate tonight."

Ranger's brown eyes morphed to black and he lowered his lips to hers.

A/N - Well, we're getting close to the end and I have a question for you. I'm thinking about a sequel that revolves around Stephanie's troubles and triumphs as she opens and builds the RangeMan Supply business. I'd also like to bring Yashi back. So, if/when you leave a review for this chapter, let me know if that's something you'd be interested in or if I should switch gears and do something different.

I really rushed through this chapter tonight, so I hope there aren't too many typos. I'll read it again after it's posted and fix any that I find. Chapter 25 should be up in a couple days.

Thanks so much for reading and for all the great reviews! I love you guys!


	25. Chapter 25

**There Ain't no Love Like Ranger Love**

**Chapter 25 (final chapter) **

When Stephanie and Ranger went back downstairs to rejoin the party with the DeCamps and their friends, they ended up staying much longer than expected. Yashi had arrived and he and Stephanie exchanged a big hug, then sat at a table and spent a half hour rehashing their experience of being kidnapped by Harry's men. While the two of them chatted, Ranger told Tank, Lester and Bobby about his call from General Benson. They were his best friends and core team members and were beyond happy and relieved that the General hadn't called to talk Ranger into another dangerous mission.

A short time later, the DeCamps said their goodbyes and Ella and Louis said goodnight and made their way to the sixth floor. The RangeMan guys started dividing into groups to play cards along with Lula, Stephanie, Connie, Yashi and Frank Plum. Helen and grandma Mazur pulled up chairs to watch.

Ranger was playing Texas hold 'em with Lester, Bobby and Hector while Stephanie and Yashi were partners in a Euchre game against Lula and Tank. Frank, Connie, Vince, Ram and Cal were playing five card stud. Several other RangeMan employees were drinking beer at another table and just shooting the breeze, telling off-color jokes and enjoying the evening.

There was a lot of laughter in the room and Ranger couldn't help but smile as he looked around and watched the interaction of his employees and friends as well as his Babe. He was ready to throw in his cards after the first game, but she was having so much fun, he decided to wait until she indicated she was ready to go up to bed. He really didn't mind. Actually, it made his heart feel good every time he heard her laughter and it was nice not having to worry about Yashi being around her. He knew it was a good thing that she had another strong friend, positive role model and cheerleader.

She was so much more confident than the woman he'd met a few years earlier and he couldn't have been more pleased. He knew she was going to make a huge success out of the RangeMan Security & Supply Company and that her success would buoy her confidence even more.

It was 2:00 a.m. by the time everyone decided to throw in the towel which was pretty darn late for a work night. Tank had only had a couple beers all evening, and had stopped drinking two hours earlier, so he drove Connie and Lula home since they were a little tipsy.

Stephanie and Helen got some large trash bags and started clearing off the tables, but Ranger stopped them. "A clean-up crew will be here in four hours to take care of that," he told them.

Stephanie gave him a big smile. "You think of everything, don't you?"

Ranger wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked to the elevator. "Not everything," he reminded her. "The relationship thing kind of threw me for a loop."

Steph looked up at him, her face lined with concern until she remembered that he said earlier that it was the best agreement they'd ever made. She relaxed into his side and put an arm around his waist. "I'm glad you're not upset," she said quietly.

The elevator delivered them to the seventh floor and Ranger fobbed open the door. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Steph. No way I could be upset."

He dropped his keys into the dish on the sideboard. "You have a good time tonight, Babe?"

"I had a great time," she told him, stretching up to put her arms around his neck. "How about you?"

He leaned down to give her a soft kiss. "Not only did I have a good time, I was impressed by how well everything went. No one got falling down drunk, your grandma didn't grab anyone, that I know of, and I didn't hear a single argument beyond how the Colts are going to end up in the standings this year. Even your mother seemed to enjoy the evening."

"Yeah, she did, didn't she? She's been a lot more mellow since I quit bounty hunting. And get this, she even told me she was proud of me for rescuing Emily."

Ranger pulled Stephanie's blouse from the waistband of her skirt and slowly began to release the buttons. "I'm proud of you too, Babe. And, out of all the men in the world to love, I'm humbled and overwhelmed that you chose me." He slid the blouse off her shoulders and down her arms and his breath caught when his eyes skimmed over the barely there, white lace demi-cup bra she was wearing. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing and in two days he was going to ask her to be his wife.

Stephanie stared up into his soft, sensuous brown eyes. "I feel just the opposite," she confessed. "You could have any woman in the world and you want me. I'm not sure I'll ever understand it."

Ranger reached out and tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ear. It was a gesture he never got tired of. "Steph, you're the only woman for me because you accept me the way I am. You've never tried to get me to change or force me give up my government work or to talk about things in my past that need to remain classified.

"You don't want me for my money or strut around like I'm a trophy on your arm. I've known women who wanted me for those reasons, but none that loved me for me, until I met you. When you tell me you love me, I don't have to wonder why you're saying it or if you really mean it. It feels good, Babe. Falling in love with you was the easiest thing in the world. Keep my distance was murder."

Stephanie leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "You never cease to amaze me, Ranger. For example, I've never heard you string that many sentences together at one time. Your command of the English language is stunning. You shouldn't keep it hidden."

Ranger chuckled and tugged her against him then slid his hand down to pinch her ass. "Smarty pants."

Stehpanie squealed, but before she could reply, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. "I want you to pay close attention to what happens in the bedroom tonight, Babe. I promise it'll serve as a reminder to you as to why you should never hurt your ribs again."

"Oh boy!" she said with a giggle. She couldn't wait. Ranger never made a promise he couldn't keep.

XXX

It was Friday night and Ranger had told Stephanie he had plans to take her out. He said she should wear jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, but wouldn't give her any clues about where they were going or what he had planned.

They left the penthouse at 8:00 p.m. and as they drove away from Trenton, Stephanie's curiosity was causing her to vibrate with excitement. Finally, once they were about ten minutes outside of town, Ranger pulled off onto a dirt road that led them to a farmhouse.

He parked the car and grabbed a duffel bag out of the back seat, then went around to open Stephanie's car door. She was dying to ask him what they were doing there, but didn't want to spoil his plans.

There were no lights on in the farmhouse, but there were two large poles behind the house that looked like utility poles. Ranger hit a switch and some spotlights came on, softly illuminating a large maze a little ways off in the distance.

"A maze?" What are we doing here?"

"A friend of mine owns this place and the maze will be open starting next week for the Halloween season. He owes me a favor and I asked him if I could bring you here tonight."

"Wow! Well, you know that Halloween is my favorite holiday. Let's go check it out."

Ranger had the duffel bag in one hand and took Stephanie's hand with his other. When they got to the edge of the maze, Ranger reached in the duffel bag and pulled out a small flashlight and stop watch and handed them to her. "Babe, this is what I want you to do. Crawl through the maze and find a spot you like and stay there. I'm going to wait three minutes, then I'm going to call out to you that I'm coming to find you. I want you to time me with the stopwatch to see how quickly I can locate you."

Stephanie was a little bit spooked about crawling off into the maze alone, but being spooked was what Halloween was all about, right? "Okay," she agreed. "This sounds like fun."

Stephanie tucked the stopwatch in the pocket of her jeans, then got down on her hands and knees and crawled into the maze. She tried to move quickly since she only had three minutes and she was delighted when the light from her flashlight landed on several carved jack o' lanterns and scary looking skulls along the way.

After she estimated that about two minutes had passed, she turned off the flashlight and headed in a different direction. She didn't want to make it too easy for Ranger to find her.

Finally, she heard him say, "Here I come!"

Stephanie smiled and stretched out flat on her stomach to wait for Batman to find her. Just as she thought, it didn't take long. Less than five minutes later, she heard some rustling noises as he crawled through the shrubbery. He turned the corner at one intersection and spotted her. They were both on their stomachs, face to face. She was propping herself up on her forearms and had a huge smile on her face. "Hi," he said with a grin, crawling to within a few inches of her.

"Hi." She grinned in return. "I hate to tell you this, but I forgot to time you."

Ranger laughed. "No problem. The fun part was finding you. Now I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"You'll see. I need you to close your eyes for a moment."

"What if I don't want to close my eyes?" she asked defiantly.

"Do it anyway," he said with a smirk.

"Oh. Well, okay." Stephanie closed her eyes and it sounded like he was searching for something in the duffel bag.

"Okay, Babe, open your eyes."

Stephanie's eyes snapped open. Ranger was wearing a pair of black leather gloves and was holding a neon green squirt gun. "Open your mouth, Babe," he ordered.

Stephanie frowned, but opened her mouth and closed her eyes. He wasn't really going to squirt her with a squirt gun, was he?

He was. And he did.

She shrieked and said, "I can't believe you actually ... wait, is that champagne?" she asked, licking her lips.

"It is," Ranger said. "Stephanie, I love you with all my heart. Will you make me the happiest man on earth by agreeing to marry me?"

Stephanie's eyes grew wide. Her mind flashed back to when she told him that his marriage proposal would have to be something that had never been done before. "Ranger, I hate to tell you this, but I'm sure that somewhere, some guy in the past has filled a squirt gun with champagne for a marriage proposal," she teased him.

Ranger rolled over onto his back, then sat up, planting his feet in front of her. He pulled off his boots, then pulled off his leather gloves. "Yes, but was he wearing one striped sock, one argyle sock and a Cap'n Crunch secret decoder ring?" he asked with a triumphant look on his face.

Steph glanced at his mismatched socks and then at his hand to see if he was actually wearing a Cap'n Crunch secret decoder ring. "I'll be damned," she said with a grin. She pushed herself up on her knees and said, "You win!" Then she threw herself at him, knocking him onto his back. "Yes, yes, yes, I'll marry you, even though you squirted me in the face and probably ruined my makeup."

Ranger pulled her head down and kissed her. "Sorry, Babe, I couldn't take the chance of not being original and having you say no. And, you look beautiful."

Stephanie planted soft kisses all over his face. "You didn't really think I'd say no, did you?"

"Couldn't take the chance, Babe," he said, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her again and said, "I have another surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"I'll show you, but you have to let me up."

Once they were sitting face to face, Ranger reached into the duffel bag again and pulled out an envelope, handing it to her.

Stephanie opened it and found two airline tickets to Aruba. "Oh my, God! We're going to Aruba for our honeymoon?"

"No," Ranger said. "I'm not sure where we're going for our honeymoon. I'll let you decide. "We're going to Aruba so I can propose again in a more traditional way and give you a ring, and make it up to you for squirting you in the face with a squirt gun."

"Ranger, I'd love to go to Aruba with you, but you don't have to make up for anything. This was fun tonight. It was perfect. I never knew how silly and goofy you could be, but I've had more fun the past three months than I've had in my entire adult life." She looked back down at the tickets. "We're leaving next Friday? Wow, I have some shopping to do. I'll get to use my new gift cards."

"I wanted to leave this weekend, but we have the end of the summer cookout with the guys Sunday in Point Pleasant."

"The guys and gals," Stephanie corrected him. "Tank is bringing Lula, and Bobby and Lester both invited mystery women."

"I didn't know that," Ranger said. "Well, the more the merrier. The freezer has plenty of steaks, we'll just have to make sure Ella knows there'll be more people."

"I told her this morning. I hope you don't mind, but I also invited Yashi when I saw him the other night and he said he might drag Brain with him."

"Brian Bishop?"

"Yeah, hope it doesn't ruin your fun having an F.B.I. agent there," Steph said softly.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Babe." He pulled her onto his lap and hugged her. "You ready to head back home?"

"No. Can we just sit here for a few more minutes?"

Ranger kissed the top of her head. "We can sit here as long as you want, Steph. "Would you like another squirt of champagne?"

Stephanie reached behind her and grabbed the squirt gun where Ranger had dropped it. "No, thanks. I think it's your turn," she said with a grin as she whipped the gun around and pointed it at his mouth.

XXX

Stephanie and Ranger headed up to Point Pleasant the next night to get everything ready for the cookout on Sunday. Since Ella had prepared all the food, they didn't have a lot to do. They opened a lot of the windows to let in some fresh air and Ranger checked the barbecue grill and made sure they had enough coals.

Stephanie set out lots of plates and glasses and silverware on the counter. They made sure they had enough beer and mixers for mixed drinks. In addition to the side dishes she'd made, Ella had sent several bags of chips and pretzels. Sunday morning, Ranger would go out for some bags of ice.

In the evening, they went out to dinner then took a long walk along the shore before spending most of the night making love and cuddling and whispering words of love and thoughts about their future together.

Tank and Lula were the first to arrive on Sunday, but they were closely followed by Lester and his date, Shannon. The guys were watching ESPN and waiting for a football game to start while Stephanie, Lula and Shannon sat on stools at the bar talking about clothing and shoes.

Yashi arrived and said that Brian would be there soon. They'd driven separately because Brian had a stop to make along the way. Stephanie asked him what he wanted to drink as he followed her to the bar.

She introduced him to Shannon as she pulled a bottle of beer from the refrigerator for him. Lula was drinking gin and tonic and Stephanie and Shannon were slowly sipping on rum and Cokes.

Bobby called to say that he and his date, Diane, would be there in about twenty minutes.

Ranger opened the sliding glass door and stepped in from the patio. "The coals should be ready in about forty-five minutes," he informed them.

"I saw the steaks setting out in the kitchen," Lester told him. "They look great."

"Mel's Meat Market," Ranger said, holding his beer bottle out to clink it with Lester's.

"Here's to Mel," Lester said, taking a long guzzle of his beer.

"It certainly is beautiful here," Yashi remarked. "It makes me wonder why I spent so many years living in New York City."

"I love it here," Stephanie told him. "I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. I miss it and am always happy to come back."

"Care to take a walk along the beach with me, Steph?" Yashi asked.

"That sounds wonderful," she said. "Hang on, I'll let Ranger know where we're going."

The guys were still in the living room gathered around the TV. "Ranger, Yashi and I are going for a walk on the beach. We'll be back in a little while."

Ranger pulled his eyes from the TV. "Sure, Babe. Have fun," he said with a warm smile.

About five minutes after Stephanie and Yashi left for their walk, Brain arrived and Ranger introduced him to Shannon and Lula. He already knew Lester and Tank. Ranger got him a beer and invited him into the living room to watch the game.

"Where's Yashi and Stephanie?" Brain asked as he followed Ranger into the room.

"They're taking a walk on the beach," Ranger told him as he motioned for Brain to take a seat in one of the empty recliners.

Brain frowned and a small smile played at the corner of his mouth. "You let Yashi take your woman for a walk on the beach alone?"

Lester and Tank exchanged a look and then turned their focus on Ranger to see how he'd answer.

Ranger shrugged. "You can try and mess with me if you want, Brian. We already know Yashi is gay."

Brian's eyes widened and he stared at Ranger with an incredulous look on his face. Then, he threw his head back and laughed. He laughed so hard, the guys were beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get himself under control.

Finally, he drew in a deep breath. "I guess you ran a search on him," he said to Ranger.

"Of course we did."

Brian ran his hand through his hair and blew out a long breath. "Ranger, you know that I've known Yashi a long time, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I don't remember how it actually started, but at some point, we started playing pranks on each other. After his last big stunt, I decided I needed to pull out the big guns and well, I added some info to his bio that would show up on any searches that were run.

"You know how it says he's a big supporter of the Humane Society?"

Ranger nodded wondering what the hell that had to do with anything.

"Well," Brian picked back up with his story. "Yashi is not really all that fond of pets. He doesn't hate them or anything, he's just not a fan. After I added that bit about the Humane Society to his bio, he's been deluged with calls from animal organizations all over the country looking for big donations like he gave to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

"Somehow that didn't phase him as much as I wanted it too, so I went back into the system and added that he was ... gay."

Ranger's eyes widened and Tank got up and excused himself and headed toward the bathroom.

"You're telling me Yashi is not gay?" Ranger asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Exactly."

"What about the dancer in New York?"

"Sandy? She was a beautiful woman and they were very much in love. She was killed by a drunk drive last year."

"He's not gay?" Ranger asked again, blinking his eyes.

"He's definitely not gay," Brian said.

Ranger's eyes shifted toward the sliding glass doors. His Babe was out there walking on the beach with a man he was sure liked her - a lot. And he wasn't gay.

Ranger turned and headed up the stairs to his bedroom.

When Tank came out of the bathroom, he asked where Ranger was.

"He headed upstairs," Lester told him. "Not sure what the hell he's doing."

Tank grunted. "I know exactly what he's doing. Be right back."

Tank grabbed his bottle of beer and took the stairs two at a time. He found Ranger exactly where he thought he would be.

The sliding glass door to the balcony of the master bedroom was open and Ranger was out there, flat on his stomach, trying to peer down the beach through the spaces between the slats on the railing.

Tank walked up behind him. "Come on man, you know you can trust her."

"Did you know, Tank?"

Tank bit his lip for a moment before answering. Finally, he confessed. "Yeah, Lula told me the other night. She and Connie finally got him to talk about his past a little bit and he showed them pictures of Sandy."

"I hate you, Pierre," Ranger said, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the big man behind him.

Tank lifted his beer bottle to his mouth trying to hide his grin. "No you don't."

_The End_

A/N - Well, that's it. Had to get in one final twist before the end. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I want to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews and comments along the way. I know I was terrible for not finding the time to reply to all of them for these final few chapters and I apologize. I do read every one of them and love your comments and ideas.

I'm going to take a break and get back to work on the sequel to my Kindle novel and then start a new fanfic. It will either be a sequel to this story or possibly a Babe HEA in an A/U setting. I had a dream last night for a suspenseful A/U Steph/Ranger plot that I'd like to try.

Once again, I'd like to thank Sandy (Knitter) for the idea for this story. Without her, there would be no Yashi. Love you, Sandy!

Well, it's almost 3:30 a.m., so I guess I should shut up and go to bed. Hope you're all having a great week!

Kristine


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